Waheed came to GOALS in 2017, after overcoming multiple challenges such as being homeless in high school. He had been living in a shelter in Manhattan, but when they reached capacity, he was referred to Topeka. He walked to Topeka, applied for Food Assistance, and saw a flyer about GOALS. At first, he avoided contact and barely talked, but he later blossomed in the GOALS-funded Washburn Tech Partners 4 Success (P4S) class. The GOALS team found a donated bike to help with transportation, and the P4S instructor even taught him how to ride the bike. As he began to flourish, he passed every GED test except math, allowing him to join the AOK program. Now he is in a welding program, rooming with another P4S student, and working at Dillons Food. His math teacher observed that he has grown so much, he is now even a mentor to another student. The GOALS team and their community partners agreed that seeing his transformation has been an amazing experience and they can’t wait to see where he goes next. For more on Waheed’s journey and other P4S graduates, read an article from the Topeka Capitol Journal ‘I’ve grown a lot:’ Five graduate Washburn Tech and DCF career training program.”
