My name is Karen. I am 17 years old and live at Cherokee Estate. If I had to talk about Cherokee and how it has helped me, I would not be able to explain everything in a short speech like this. First of all, I want to thank God for the opportunity to be at Cherokee Estate. During the time that I have lived here my life has changed so much.
I come from a small town in Guatemala where we did not have much money and there were no opportunities to continue my education. I wanted to come to this country to be able to go to school and college. Sadly, the situation I moved to was no better and unsafe for me. From my earliest memories of when I was a young child my life has not been easy. Now, for the first time in my life, I really feel that I will be able to reach my dreams. It won’t be easy, but with God’s help and with my Youth Homes family’s help, I know I can do it.
Since being at Cherokee I have found my love of running. I am on the cross country and track teams for my school, where I was able to participate in the regional meet. I have been volunteering with the Humane Society this summer helping care for the animals. I was even able to volunteer at a food drive with the Latin American Society. I have enjoyed being able to help and give back. I’ve had experiences that I’ve never had before like riding roller coasters at Dollywood. As I said, I am very grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to be at Cherokee Estate. I feel safe and loved. I feel like with the support I get I can continue to grow in many ways. Thank you for all you do for me and other children in Georgia.