A.S.'s Journey to Stability

For A.S., college isn’t just about earning a degree—it’s a chance to build a better future for herself. A junior at City Tech, studying communications with a focus on speech pathology, she has faced challenges that could have derailed her dreams. Instead, she found NCS Scholars, a place she calls a “refuge.”

“Before NCS, I was living in a dysfunctional and unsafe environment,” she recalls. “Coming here gave me peace and that peace gave me the ability to succeed.”

During her sophomore year, A.S. was juggling school while caring for her grandmother in a home filled with instability and violence. She didn’t have the resources to secure housing on her own—until her college connected her to NCS Scholars. With safe and stable housing, she was able to focus on her studies, raising her GPA to as high as 3.9 and graduating from LaGuardia Community College before transferring to City Tech to complete her bachelor’s degree on a full scholarship.

A.S. credits NCS Scholars Program Director, Mary Jacobs, as her biggest support system. “She never judged me. She made me feel like I belonged from the very beginning.” With that support, A.S. is working in a federal work-study, is preparing for an internship, and is participating in faculty research—all steps toward her dream of starting a nonprofit to mentor young girls who, like her, have faced hardship and depression.

“If I hadn’t found NCS, I would have had to leave everything behind... I would have had to start over. I might have gotten hurt. Instead, I’m here and I’m thriving.”

With every semester, A.S. is building the future she always dreamed of—one where she can give back to her community and help others find the support she once needed.

We are honored to be part of her journey.