Robert Desilets gives the ‘ok’ to start today’s class.

Upon Robert’s cue, Maricruz Flores leads our guests and classmate, Lucy Salado, into the Life Skills classroom.

Lucy (left in the jean jacket in this photo) introduces Alisa (to Lucy’s left) to her classmates to start today’s class as Maricruz awaits to do the same with Meghan.

Hope students welcome Alisa and Meghan to their class following Lucy and Maricruz’s introductions.

Robert welcomes Alisa and Meghan and then asks both to share their journey from high school to Providence and Brown University before deferring to his classmates questions.

Both Alisa and Meghan were refreshingly candid sharing their stories. Alisa’s journey began at a large public high school in Austin, Texas. Her decision to go to relocate from the comfortable environs of home to over 1,000 miles away at Brown rather than close-to-home University of Texas was difficult.  But her parents encouraged her to push out of her comfort zone and go to Brown. “For the first two years at Brown, the transition was tough.  I wanted to go home.  I’m glad I didn’t.  Brown has expanded my horizons of what’s possible and gave me great friends like Meghan” Alisa said.    Meghan shared her story about transferring during her junior year at her local, public high school to a private high school.  “This experience would have been like one of you transferring from Hope High to Moses Brown for your junior year.  I felt like I didn’t fit in.  I wanted to leave!  But, I didn’t and, in retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t.  The experience at the private school really prepared me for college.  My transition to Brown, as a result, wasn’t as challenging as it would have been if I went to Brown directly from my public high school.  Plus, the private school experience really expanded my perspectives on life and what’s possible.”