The Addition of Confidence – Mission Accomplished: Shaniah French

While her four children stared at the Christmas lights twinkling on the tree in the Mission’s lobby, Shaniah French felt unsure. Abusive words from her previous partner rang in her ears. Fleeing him led to homelessness. Self-doubt made her question her future. Could the Mission help? Shaniah asked this question when she first moved into the Mission in December 2018.

She enrolled in the Mission’s Career Learning Center, our accredited high school for adults. Despite hard work, one thing stood in her way — math. “It wasn’t that I couldn’t do it,” Shaniah recalls. She passed every practice test. Yet, when her teacher, Ms. Tannika, set the official exam on her desk, her thoughts scrambled. She attempted the test 5 or 6
times but to no avail.

With the Mission’s help, she secured work and a place to live, allowing her to move out in August 2020.

In 2022, she enrolled in Florida Career College to train in its Medical Assistant Program. At her enrollment, she found one problem: she
needed a high school diploma. With dread but determination, Shaniah attempted the math exam again. And, this time, she passed!

She rushed to the Mission to tell Ms. Tannika and Ms. Yolanda, her case manager. They had never stopped calling her, encouraging her to pursue her education.

Shaniah prays every night with her children, thanking God for their many blessings, including donors like you. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you… [The Mission] changed my life forever,” she reflects.

Four Christmases have passed since Shaniah cameto the Mission. Abusive words and self-doubt no longer ring in her ears. Instead, a new voice of confidence speaks, saying, “I know that there is nothing I can’t do.” With God as her helper, we agree, foreseeing a future that shines bright, just like a Christmas light.