During the intake process at the D2 Center, one of the questions Staff Specialist Jodie Martinez asks is, “What are the reasons you disengaged or are struggling in school?” When Jodie asked Shannon this question early in the second semester of her 9th grade year in 2020, Shannon gave her a long list of issues that were affecting her life. She was bored with school and missed so many days of the first semester that she failed all her classes and couldn’t get caught up. She admitted she was hanging with peers who were a bad influence. Family issues were ongoing; over the next several years she would leave her home multiple times for short periods and couch-surf with friends or relatives. Plus, the family often moved, so she had attended a different school each year. She worked several jobs throughout high school to support herself. In short, she was angry, depressed, anxious, and frustrated. Youth Academic Navigator (YAN) Netta Prince met her by chance in the office at her school, and they started talking. Shannon decided to apply to the D2 Center, and she requested that Netta be her YAN.
Family counseling at home was helpful for a short time while she was on probation for truancy. Shannon also started attending school more regularly and her grades improved. She passed five of seven classes that semester and struggled again with virtual learning in 10th grade but passed all her classes with B’s and C’s the second semester. Eleventh grade was a new school in a suburban district, and Netta continued to see her and support her. She passed all her classes. Twelfth grade was a banner year back in an OPS high school. She passed all her classes and took recovery classes online and after school.
What Netta did during the three and a half years as Shannon’s YAN reflects an essential part of D2 Center core values. As their relationship developed over time, Netta listened intently and then gently guided her to consider different responses to her problems. She would let Shannon vent, but they would always talk about any positive things going on in her life, such as passing her classes or making progress with other issues like self-esteem, behavior, anger, and trust. Netta referred her to a Career Navigator to help her plan for cosmetology school. It was a joyful day for Shannon when she graduated on time in May 2023. Both Shannon and her mom thanked Netta after the ceremony.