As a teen girl, Maria is wise beyond on her years. She is a member of the ROTC, Youth Council, and this past semester she made all A’s and B’s on her report card. However, success has certainly not been handed to Maria, she has had to fight for it every step of the way. However, with the help of Epworth’s Residential Program and her own hardworking spirit, Maria is thriving!
After originally being placed elsewhere, Maria made the decision to come and live at Epworth Children’s Home. Although she loved her first placement dearly and enjoyed living there, Maria knew that Epworth would provide her with opportunities that it could not. She knew that Epworth’s established structure and programs were exactly what she needed to propel her forward in life.
Maria talks about how her life before Epworth was less than perfect. She was making bad decisions and was not working toward her future or her goals, caught up in all the hard parts of being a teen. The decision to come to Epworth was the first step in getting her life on the track she wanted to be on. Since coming to Epworth, Maria has done better in school than ever before and she even got a job to pay for classes to learn a second language that is not offered at her high school. She hopes to use this second language to pursue a career in the military. Maria says that she credits this turnaround to the programs that Epworth has in place, the staff that work so hard to make Epworth feel like home, and the change in her environment. While Maria has big goals and dreams, she is also enjoying where she is right now. She loves games and movie nights with her cottage and is looking forward to all the green bean casserole and
mac and cheese to come during the holiday season.
Staff in Maria’s cottage are so proud of her and cannot wait to see her continue to grow!