Sierra's Freshman Year, Officially in the Books

Freshman year is a lot even under normal circumstances. New city, new people, syllabus week that somehow lasts three weeks. Sierra did all of that on top of a full course load in civil engineering, and she did it carrying a whole toolkit WAYS for Life had already helped her build: certifications, a paid apprenticeship with a regional manufacturing partner, a scholarship an organization went and found for her when the first one didn't fit, plus the everyday stuff like food, hygiene supplies, help around the house all of which made room for her to focus on herself and her goals instead of just getting by.

Turns out that toolkit travels well. This spring, Sierra wrapped up her first year at USF, and what got her through wasn't some brand-new trick. It was the same stuff WAYS had already taught her, just wearing a college hoodie now: you don't have to do things alone, and following up when the first answer doesn't come is basically a superpower. She knew WAYS wasn't going anywhere. She just had to find out she could build that same kind of crew somewhere new. Spoiler: she did.

Turns Out, She Wants to Know Why Buildings Fall

Sierra is studying civil engineering, and she already knows exactly where she wants to take it, structural forensic engineering, which is basically the detective work of buildings. Figuring out why they fail and making sure the next one doesn't. She'd first considered architecture, but decided the degree process was "a bit too long" and "really time consuming." (Fair.) Engineering gave her the same pull toward big, complex systems, water, traffic, infrastructure, without asking her to pick just one lane and stick to it forever.

"Even though I don't know everything about it," she said, "it's still interesting."

That first semester was the hardest, new material, a new campus, an entirely new routine to build from scratch. "First semester is always the toughest," she said, "not just the material, but getting used to the whole routine." She pushed through it anyway, and she's already got her sights set on doing even better this fall.

The Follow-Up Queen

Ask Sierra what she knows how to do now that she didn't a year ago, and she doesn't talk about a class. She talks about following up, which, honestly, might be the most underrated life skill nobody teaches you.

"Usually you don't hear back after that first time," she said. "And then it's like, oh, maybe I can't do it. So the follow-up part, that's something I know how to do well now. I'll call."

Reaching out to someone, not hearing back, and reaching out again anyway instead of assuming the silence meant no. It sounds small. It isn't. It's the same instinct her Career Pathways mentors helped her build long before she set foot on a college campus, the habit of staying in the conversation instead of walking away after one no. Sierra packed that habit right along with her extra-long twin sheets and mini fridge, and it's already paying off.

Taking Care of Business (Herself Included)

Sierra had spent most of her life as the one raising her younger siblings alongside her mom, keeping them on track with school, making sure they were living life the way they should. Leaving for college this spring meant letting go of that for the first time, and it was the hardest part of her year.

"I've always been that person," she said, "helping them, keeping up with them, making sure they're experiencing life." Leaving meant learning something she didn't expect to have to learn, that her siblings could be okay without her there every day, and that she didn't have to always be that person for them.

She's come out the other side with something else, too. The understanding that taking care of herself isn't selfish, it's what makes her able to take care of everything else. "If I take care of myself first," she said, "I can still attend to other things. And if a hard time comes, it's easier to get out of that."

She's stayed close with her siblings all year, and true to form, the second she wrapped a visit with us at WAYS, she was headed straight to see them.

Her Crew Never Left the Group Chat

Sierra didn't do this year alone. "Everybody just showed up with everything," she said, people staying in contact, checking in, offering advice before she even had to ask. It's the same kind of network WAYS built around her from the start, mentors, counselors, people who didn't quit on her, only now the roster grew to include a new campus, too. She named Nancy, who has been a steady source of help, and Janelle at USF's student outreach office, who Sierra says she can reach out to anytime, no problem. And Don, her mentor from WAYS, has stayed close, checking in with her well beyond her time in our program, living proof that once you're part of the WAYS crew, you're part of it for good.

So, What's the Verdict?

Beyond the credits and the coursework, Sierra says this year gave her something bigger, proof. "Sometimes I'm like, I don't want to do that, or I feel like I can't," she said. "But then I look back at the things I've already done, and I'm like, I can. I can do it, with confidence."

And that's really the story here, from the young woman leaning on WAYS for certifications, mentors, and the everyday essentials that kept her moving forward, to the college student who walked onto a new campus knowing she wasn't starting from zero, she was building the next floor on a foundation she already trusted. It was never just about the GED, or even the scholarship. It was about giving her the stability to figure out what she's capable of, and watching her carry that same lesson, ask, follow up, let people in, into a life that's fully hers. One down. A few more to go.

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WAYS for Life provides wraparound youth services for young adults formerly in foster care and those experiencing homelessness. Learn more at waysforlife.org.