During this month’s Board of Commissioner’s meeting, attendees were introduced to two resilient young women; both are students at our School of Unlimited Learning.

Jue Chang, 17, is not only a junior at Asian Village (the independent studies site), but a wife and mother to three young children ages 3 years and younger. While many teen mothers would not be able to balance motherhood and being a student, Chang has been able to juggle both. She credits her success to the caring and understanding staff at Asian Village. In addition to her studies at Asian Village, Chang is also a student at Fresno City College. She is working toward a degree in nursing and hopes to be half way done with her college credits by the time she graduates high school next year.

Also at the meeting was 17 –year-old Janeya Harris. The former Bullard High Student recalls, “Being popular was more important to me that studying. It wasn’t until my junior year that I realized I needed to focus. I was a junior with freshman credits.” Harris enrolled at SOUL and started to catch up on her credits; soon after she became pregnant. “I tried the independent study program during pregnancy but it was too hard for me,” she says. “I was able to drop my daughter off at the Childhood Development Center and go back to SOUL. I knew she was in a safe place and that allowed me to focus on my studies.” Thanks to SOUL and its dedicated staff, Harris is graduating from SOUL this summer.

The Board also:

• presented former Commissioner Daniel Renteria with a plaque honoring him and his commitment as a Board Commissioner. Mr. Renteria thanked the Board for the opportunity to work with them and make a difference in the lives of Fresno County residents.
• ratified the submission of a grant proposal to the California Department of Veterans Affairs in the amount of $132,645 to assist local veterans with claims process and linking veterans and their families to important social and economic services.
• approved Executive Director Brian Angus’ leadership agenda for the upcoming year