“We’re soul-searching, journaling, and finding peace at the Fairhope beach.  We needed a calm place to get away from the chaos of school. Today has been a good day.”

Aaleyah: “My aunt is a nurse. I also have a nanny who’s a neonatal nurse, and I like what she’s doing. They both inspired me to go into nursing.”

Jaley: “I got out of the hospital a year ago today. I had a pseudo tumor behind my eye and my blood pressure spiked. That put me in the hospital. I went to Coastal Community College for my tour the day after I got out. Now, I’m here with my friends and majoring in criminal justice. I want to be a judge. I worked in a law firm when I was 16 and really liked it. After Coastal, I’ll transfer somewhere else and then go to law school.

Ashanti: “I want to be a nurse. Everyone in my family is in the workforce. I’m the first in my family to go to college.”