She said it felt good to be able to tell her story… She has come such a long way and is absolutely incredible.
— Ali Jennings, CIS Site Coordinator, Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe High School
Eighteen-year-old Margaret used to be scared of who she was and who she was becoming.
Then, halfway through freshman year of high school she met CIS Site Coordinator Ali Jennings. She didn’t know it yet, but she would later credit Ali with saving her life.
When Margaret was one years old life was already tough, with a father in prison and mother in turmoil. By the age of five, Margaret and her siblings had been taken from their mom. Thirteen brought hard truths to be faced and no one to open up to. It was also the age Margaret found self-harm as a form of release.
The first half of her Freshmen year she missed nearly 30 days of school, spending many of those days in psychiatric care. The intense treatment was taking a toll on her elderly grandmother and caretaker. Margaret had known her grandmother as her only parental figure since the age of four. Then, suddenly, she and her siblings were brought to live with their mother. There was no explanation. No goodbye… The hurt sent Margaret back to the hospital.
But, with all that pain, brought positive life changes. Her mother made a decision to help Margaret make a fresh start, choosing to move so she could finish freshman year at a new school: Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe High School. That’s where Margaret met Ali Jennings.
Mrs. Ali has helped me through learning how to talk to people, and sometimes I still am scared or nervous, but I have learned to talk about it in the end and not bottle it all up… I trust Mrs. Ali with my life and she has made my life better by helping me learn to talk about my feelings. Helping out with food and clothes when I needed it. Finding someone to fix my car when it was broken down. Helping me through everything to go off to college next year.
I am now a senior and because of Mrs. Ali I am confident in myself and know that I will be okay after graduation. Mrs. Ali goes above and beyond to help her students with anything they need. She is one of the best people you will ever meet or need in your life.
— Margaret, CIS Student
Margaret is an incredible example of someone that didn’t let their life experiences or circumstances hold her back from achieving her goals. She works hard in school, color guard, helping out her family, and holds down two jobs to save money for the future. She has been accepted to multiple colleges and plans to major in nursing with the future goal of being a surgical first assist. Margaret is intelligent, kind, and unbelievably strong, and I know whatever she sets her mind to will get accomplished… Our lives are enriched and made better by serving our kids, and Margaret has absolutely done that in my life.
— Ali Jennings, CIS Site Coordinator