Long Hours At Work And School Fuel Determination For Stratford High Graduate In Nashville
Though he’s a teenager, Kevin, a recent graduate of Nashville’s Stratford STEM Magnet High School is the man of the house.
In high school, he worked long hours to help out, which made staying in school a struggle. Instead of dropping out, he stuck with it and graduated. He now attends Belmont University and is on scholarship.
“When I was younger, my mom and my teachers, basically my whole family told me I was going to be great,” Kevin says. “Since they believed in me, it always put a fire in me because I know I wanted to be something.”
Kevin says he worked 40 to 46 hours a week, sometimes not making it home until after 11 p.m.
“It was hard making that transition from work to school,” he says. “I was failing math at a point in time, so I had to stay over two or three hours to make sure that I get all this work done and to make sure that I pass this class.”
Things are set now the college freshman.
“Now I’m going to college, and I’m going to Belmont on a full ride,” he says. Since his freshman year high school, Kevin says: “Everything has worked out fine.”
This report was produced by the Southern Education Desk as part of their “Back on Track” series. It is supported by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in observance of American Graduate Day on Saturday, October 3.
As the Scripps spelling bee turns 100, former champions reflect on its evolution
Previous winners say the spelling bee has become much more competitive and credit television with making it a cultural phenomenon each year.
Supreme Court limits environmental reviews of infrastructure projects
The decision makes it easier to win approval for highways, bridges, pipelines, wind farms, and other infrastructure projects.
The White House is sued over lack of sign language interpreters at press briefings
The National Association of the Deaf says the White House's failure to provide ASL interpreters during press briefings leaves some deaf and hard of hearing people without information.
Market Basket CEO is put on leave in new spat at family-controlled supermarket chain
The board alleges that CEO Arthur T. Demoulas has been planning a work stoppage at the Massachusetts-based retailer. It also says he has "resisted an appropriate succession plan for Market Basket."
Why giant statues of snakes popped up in Geneva
These colorful snakes aren't just works of art. Erected for the World Health Assembly, they're meant to draw attention to an extremely neglected health issue: snakebite.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Kenyan literary giant who fought colonialism, dies at 87
The Kenyan author championed local African languages and was imprisoned for his work. His name was often mentioned in discussions about the Nobel Prize in Literature.
