Omar read about Next Step in the East Bay Express. The school he was enrolled in wasn’t working out, so he signed up with Next Step’s Five Keys Charter site and the rest is history.

After I dropped out, I wasn’t motivated. I felt hopeless. But at Next Step, the staff really cared about me and my education. The tutors put their hearts into it; I knew this was the right place.

Omar is thriving at Laney and remains focused on the right things:  “I want to get the general education stuff out of the way. Then I can move on to my Associates’ and on to a university.”

When asked about his major, Omar says with a smile,

“It changes every day. Right now, I’m thinking, maybe psychology. I’m just glad I got a second chance at college.”