At just 12 years old, Marie’s* life changed in a single moment. She and her best friend had just come home from school in Port-au-Prince when the 2010 earthquake struck. The building collapsed. The ground trembled. When the dust settled, Marie was alive—her best friend was not.

In the months that followed, Marie’s mother made an impossible choice. With nothing left, she gave her daughter 24 hours to pack and sent her to the U.S. to live with a father she barely knew.

Marie arrived in Florida not speaking English, grieving, and unsure how to start over. She was bullied for her accent, felt out of place, and carried the weight of loss and survival.

Still, she pushed forward. Not because it was easy…but because she believed education could be her way out.
But when college applications came around, she hit a wall. She had the will, but not the guidance.

That’s when Scholar Career Coaching stepped in.

With the support of a Scholar CC mentor, Marie learned how to prepare for tests, navigate college applications, secure financial aid, and find her voice in her personal statement. Step by step, she began to believe in a future she couldn’t yet see.

Marie went on to earn multiple scholarships, graduate from Florida State University, and now dedicates her career to helping high-need, high-potential youth – just like she once was.

“I always had the will,” Marie said. “But a will without guidance… sometimes it’s pointless.”