I’ve talked about Ryan a lot this year—his ups and downs and
breakthrough moments. He’s worked with us for a number of years and between the
end of last year and this year he’s made great progress and has become a
student others can look up to. In the
fall he was in our bookstore group, but since that is a half year program, we
decided it was time for Ryan and Partnership to go their separate ways.
Sometimes a hard break isn’t very easy for our
students. When they’ve worked with
Partnership for so long, it becomes an integrated part of their lives and it’s
hard to move away from. A few weeks after Ryan left Partnership, he started popping
his head in to say hi, or would hang around the Partnership room during free
periods.
Finally Ryan confided in me how much he missed the
group. He has lunch during the period
the bookstore is open, so I talking with him about helping out with the
store. He was so excited! Not only does
Ryan again feel connected to Partnership, but he’s able to take on a leadership
role (something he never could have done in past years) and help other students
understand how to run the store. I’m so proud of how much Ryan has grown over
the past years with Partnership’s help. And it’s wonderful to have an “alumni”
present at the store to aid other students and act as a role model.
