“I need to hear from people who are like me, who know my struggles and have overcome them. Kids from our community don’t even know what is out there.” said Lina. The Casa staff agreed. We looked at Lina last August and said, “Make it happen!” And she did just that. May will mark the third gathering of the High School Role Models series. Regarding her efforts to make this program happen Lina says, “At first it was a struggle for me to take this into my own hands because I thought I wasn’t ready but when I did it, I felt really good about myself. I have learned how to face my fears, speak in public, be more confident and take more responsibility into my hands.” Lina believes the program is benefiting students as well. She says, “Students are seeing that there is still hope and that whatever they go through, they can over come it. They shouldn’t let their past define their future.”  Regarding her interaction with the professionals, she says, “I have appreciated how raw some of the presenters have been with us, talking about their own teenage struggles with drugs and even having a probation officer and now they are accomplished professionals. Through the program, I have learned about graphic design, interior design and accounting. I knew the word accountant and that involved money but I didn’t know what an accountant actually did. Now that I know what they do, I still don’t want to be one but it’s good to understand it.”