“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there’s love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” —Ella Fitzgerald
Love and Inspiration are two of the themes of New Legacy’s Real-World Learning (RWL) program. This is evident on Tuesdays and Thursdays—our RWL days—when high school students are going to internships, taking college classes, or pursuing certifications. Students can also choose to use this time to start a club or lead an activity. Through their RWL activities, students seek inspiration, follow their passions, and find a pathway to a career that they love. That’s how, this past Tuesday, a small group of students found themselves learning hula dancing from Loviana.
As a senior, “Lovi” is pursuing her passions with the support of New Legacy. A natural leader with a love for dance, she was inspired by the opportunity to teach this skill to her fellow students. She will also soon begin a maintenance internship to learn all about building maintenance with a focus on electrical work. Her favorite class is math, which will serve her well in her desired future career as an electrician, because, as she says, “working with numbers is natural.”
Lovi says she loves that New Legacy’s staff care for her and her fellow students. This is especially true for her daughter, Le’ani, who attends our Early Learning Center (ELC). Le’ani is “becoming more independent and learning to socialize” with the support of her teachers. Lovi loves the fact that her daughter is learning to trust others. She is calm and comfortable in her classroom, which Lovi attributes to Le’ani’s teachers, Sol and Crystal, who sing to her every day.
Lovi is grateful to be at New Legacy and says that being here has been a lesson in community. She wants her classmates to recognize that giving back to a community will benefit not just others, but also oneself. We love the fact that Lovi is giving back and sharing her love and inspiration with her community.
