Exalt Youth

The success stories of exalt participants show that improving a youth's sense of self-worth  and providing hope for the future can be powerful catalysts in their pursuit of education and employment goals.

Robert, age 18, had exceptional participation in the program.  He absorbed the information and the push to his thinking during the six week intensive classroom phase,nearly always the first one to raise his hand.  He pioneered a new internship for exalt at a small fitness center run by a local entrepreneur.  He was given full trust and was moved to head the front desk throughout just a two month internship.  As the program draws to a close, Robert’s mother is about to exit from another stay at a drug rehab   center.  He knows that she’s not able to be a mother the way he’s needed one. On the day of his exalt graduation he finds out his father, his mainstay and sole support system, has passed away.  Within hours, Robert makes the decision to attend his graduation and               brings a friend for support.  None of the staff are aware throughout graduation that   this young man’s life has just irrevocably changed.  That he has suffered a trauma that    would reduce many of us to a puddle on the floor, despite however challenging our relationships with our father may have been.  Robert is dressed professionally.  He speaks with confidence, poise, and a sense of achievement.  He says that this experience has made him re-invest in school and that he’s determined to finish high school and go      to college.  

 Lisette, age 15, lives with her single mother who struggles to pay the bills.  Somehow, despite the expectations of her peers and the statistical likelihood that she will be    severely behind her grade level in school, she is doing exceptionally well in school. She may have the opportunity to attend AP classes next year, her junior year.  She is also passionate about art.  She too pioneered a new internship for exalt at a new art gallery. The artist was so impressed with Lisette’s work ethic, interest and commitment that she said she was better than any of her paid assistants.  The day of graduation Lisette's             mother finds out they have been evicted from their home.  They still attend graduation, not knowing where they will go for the night.  Lisette’s mother proudly snaps photos and Lisette glows as she also basks in her achievements in front of her peers, and a larger audience.This achievement, like Robert's precedes everything.