GED GRADUATES HEADED TO LINCOLN UNIVERSITY

ATLANTA, August 14, 2009 - D’Angelo Soriano was headed down a dead-end path towards incarceration or death before the age of 25. Life looked bleak for this young man who dropped out of school in seventh grade and had been in and out of jail since the age of 14, until his aunt informed him about Atlanta Workforce Development Agency (AWDA). Soriano along with 13 other young adults attained their GED’s earlier this year and will be advancing to college this fall, because of AWDA’s YouthBuild Program and the Mayor’s Youth Program (MYP).

In 2005, Atlanta’s Mayor Shirley Franklin decided to start a program in which she “adopts” high school seniors from the Atlanta Public School System. The program’s vision was to develop an individualized plan for students to attend post-secondary colleges, universities, or technical schools, gain employment, or enter the military. While in the program students are connected to opportunities designed to enhance their ability to set goals for post-secondary success through workforce readiness training, summer internships, mentoring, and financial assistance.

Deangelo Soriano and Mom

Since AWDA is a One-Stop Center that offers various training programs for youth and adults who are City of Atlanta residents, Soriano and other students were able to participate in the Mayor’s Youth Program this summer. Thus, a partnership was fashioned between the Mayor’s Youth Program and YouthBuild to aid students who dropped out of Atlanta Public Schools, but desired a second chance.

On August 11, 2009, Justin Moorer a YouthBuild participant turned 20. If you would have told him three years ago when he dropped out of Crim High School that he would be attending Lincoln University with scholarships and grants, he may have laughed at you. However, because of the Mayor’s Youth Program and YouthBuild his life has turned a complete 360 degree’s. During his commencement speech to his classmates Moorer stated, “I didn’t have a dream before I got into this program.” Manifesting dreams and fulfilling dreams of youth who may not have hope or opportunities is an essential reason why the Mayor’s Youth Program exists.

Moorer, Soriano, Pierre Greene, Julian Huff, and Ashley Brooke Nixon achieved a huge educational goal despite their setbacks. These former high school dropouts are now collegiate scholars yearning for higher education. All five students will be attending Lincoln University this fall. The Mayor’s Youth Program and their families are proud of their accomplishments, especially Soriano’s mother, Joy Soriano. She expressed her gratitude, “It has been a long and hard road to get to where we are today. I’ve cried and prayed, and cried and prayed from the jail house to college. This is an answer to my prayers. Thank you to everybody for all the love and hard work to get our children back on track, and believing that they can do it.”