Daniela, a 7th grader at Kilo Middle School, was struggling to overcome social-emotional issues when she found Communities In Schools. Makenna Lester, our School Outreach Coordinator, connected Daniela with services to help her overcome some of her internal turmoil. The past year was filled with its challenges and the pandemic created an extra set of barriers impeding her success. Some of these challenges included assisting her family by helping care for her younger siblings at home while also maintaining her academics in a virtual environment.
Already struggling with how to connect with people, Daniela found herself overwhelmed with the additional challenge of navigating how to connect virtually. Makenna was able to help Daniela find new opportunities to connect with her peers, joining the Scholar Voice Collaborative group she was running. The group was a great way to give Daniela a platform to grow her confidence. She began speaking up with her peers more and even found herself wanting to take initiative spearheading projects.
Although it took some time for her to build her comfort with the group, she even began sharing her artwork and submitted a piece for the SVC/GSA slideshow for Pride Month.
