Success Stories

Written by Judy Perry, Instructor/Case Manager

Good Afternoon. My name is Meleny Toro.

I would like to begin by extending a huge THANK YOU to you all for being here, as well as our YouthBuild (YB) faculty here in Worcester. Without all of you, none of the work we do would be possible.

Written by Adrianna Buduski, Worcester YouthBuild Instructor/Case Manager

I grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts in a very dysfunctional family. There was a lot of physical and mental abuse. My family life had a very negative effect on my early years of my education. Another factor that hindered my schooling was my ADHD.

SNAP / Food Stamp recipient Nicole Mattson had been looking for a job for a long time. She applied to many places, even holding a couple of jobs, but for varying reasons, they didn’t work out so well. Nicole was discouraged to find herself back at the job search starting point once again.

My name is Desiree Santiago. I am a seventeen-year-old, single mother. I have an adorable 10-month-old son, named Andrey. I am a very determined and intelligent young woman. Despite this, I have had to overcome numerous obstacles to achieve and pursue my academic goals.

Written by Judy Perry, YPP Instructor/ Case Manager

My name is Jánée Williams. I’m 24 and I’m a mother of two. I made a goal to achieve my High School Equivalency Diploma (HiSED) before my second child arrived.

My name is Kylee Folan. When I first came into TRA’s ACHIEVE! Program, I had been out school for a year and a half. I thought, since I never really got great grades in high school that it was going to take me a long time to get me back into a test-taking mindset again.