“I came to Charlotte at the age of 11. My parents sent me with a relative to the United States because in the city where I lived there were many gangs and they were raping the girls. When I got to Charlotte I felt so lonely. My relative was living in a situation where she was experiencing physical and mental abuse. I decided to ask the school I was attending for help but no one helped me. I didn’t want to be in that toxic environment anymore so I decided to go live with a guy I was dating just so I could escape from where I was living. What I did not know is that I was going to end up in another situation similar to that of my relative. I got pregnant at 14 years old. Now I am 15 and it has been very difficult to get ahead without having the support of any family member, to learn to be a mother alone and to study. Not only that, my child’s father began to abuse me physically and emotionally. Despite all that I still dream of getting out of all this and being able to get ahead with my baby and one day see my parents again. Thanks to the support of Despierta I decide to continue my education Having this support has given me hope and I am very grateful."  -Name and Image Not Disclosed to Protect Client Privacy