Meet Tasha and John

Tasha and John are a married couple who came to Next Step motivated to re-engage in their own education as their teenage daughter approaches here high school graduation. Their story resonated with strength, resilience, and determination.

Tasha describes herself as a slow learner who needs time to process, with lots of repetition. As a child, she struggled in the traditional school environment and couldn't find the learning support she needed. In the 10th grade, Tasha became pregnant and had to drop out of school.

The years that followed were extremely difficult, experiencing homelessness and personal trauma and falling into substance abuse. With help from a dedicated sponsor and inspiration from her loving grandmother, Tasha has been clean now for 7 years. She has re-connected with her adult children and loves her time with her eight grandkids. 

Like many students, Tasha's journey at Next Step started and stopped over the years when life's struggles hindered the way. With John recently retired, Tasha asked for his help in coming back to school. When they arrived together, John decided to enroll himself.

For over a year, they have come to Next Step twice a week to work with Karen Matza, our Reading Specialist, and their dedicated tutors, Gretchen and Buck. They have progressed through their foundational curriculum and are now enrolled in our High School Diploma Program. We are all excited for this next step in their academic journey!

My reading is really good, but to spell is another thing. I know how to say the words and read the words, but spelling is different. I’m learning now to place apostrophes. Math is difficult but it’s coming along. I’m learning positive and negative numbers in multiplication. The tutors here are very understanding and patient. They don’t mind going over and over things with me. They just keep at it with me. I just love it here.

- Tasha

I work with Buck in math. He’s a good teacher. That’s why I keep coming back. The math I’m learning here is helpful in my everyday life and with my work at the car auction. With Gretchen and Karen, I’m working on my reading and learning how to pronounce my words. It’s a good program. I like it. I’ll keep coming until they kick me out. The people here make you feel good and make it worth coming.

- John

Oftentimes when you work with a student, you learn more from them than they do from you! Tasha is a woman of faith and resilience. John is a man of strength and deep understanding of life. It has been a pleasure to grow alongside them as we explore their studies together.

- Gretchen, Tutor to Tasha & John