By AJ’s aunt, Tinia.
At nine years old, AJ lost his mother to a car accident. He has never known his father so his grandmother became his guardian. And, although he and his mother had lived in the house with his grandmother before the accident, it was a very devastating loss for a little boy.
At the time, he was in a public school that began to naturally pity him. And although he was not excelling in school, they were continually passing him off to the next grade.
By the 7th grade, AJ he was very rebellious, withdrawn, depressed, failing in school,angry at the world and headed in a terrible direction. The decision was made that AJ needed to be in a place that saw him as an individual, a place that would push him and challenge him to do better.
“And although he was not excelling in school, they were continually passing him off to the next grade.”
We decided that Northlake Christian School was a better fit for what we felt AJ needed at that time. They took the time to test him and place him in classes that would help him to get on grade level. They found that he also had a learning disability that was causing frustration on top of his grief.
NCS catered to the needs of the child in order to help him not only go through school feeling confident, but they also make sure that the children are set up for success after high school. They encourage students to go to college and offer them any help in getting them to where they need to be.
AJ is currently a junior in high school and is surrounded by people who care about him and his future. AJ’s grandmother could not have afforded to send him to a private school, but the scholarship programs available to her provided her with the opportunity to make AJ’s life so much better after a tragic loss.
AJ is now a happy, bright young man who looks forward to attending college. The scholarships that were available to us to allow AJ another chance at life dramatically changed his life.