Grad Track Spotlight: Brooke Valles

Brooke Valles’ story is one of a student overcoming adversity with immeasurable resilience. It is an inspiring account of strength and perseverance... a defiance of all the obstacles that life has thrown her way.  As a current senior who will graduate in May of 2025 with an Accelerated Career Diploma, Brooke has traveled an unconventional road to graduation. Raised by a single mother, Brooke is the oldest of three children; her family has moved with astounding consistency throughout her educational journey.  She has attended numerous different schools over the past thirteen years while dealing with food insecurity, facing the loss of housing, and additional personal struggles.  Brooke has proven herself a strong young woman who has learned to minimize the friction in her life as she looks forward to graduation and the bright future ahead of her.  
Instability marks Brooke’s educational journey.  The constant moving and relocation meant constantly starting over – new schools, new teachers, and new friends.  The students in each school were not learning the same content at the same time, so she was constantly having to switch gears and couldn’t keep her head above water.  Finding an advocate within the school building wasn’t common, as she didn’t stay in one place long enough to develop an adult ally.  Friends then became the biggest influence in her life, and often led her down paths she looks back on now and knows negatively impacted her education.  Poor friend and life choices, coupled with the harsh realities of hunger and being displaced from her home, made focusing on academics difficult.  
Brooke also had to confront the substance abuse in her life. She found herself in situations with the wrong influences and making some poor life choices, which threatened to pull her further away from her potential.  Skipping school became more common, then growing insecurities about her self-worth plagued her mind.  She would wonder where she fit in, what she liked, and if she was even smart enough or capable enough to be successful academically.  Her confidence in herself was shaken.  
Halfway through Brooke’s junior year, she transferred back to Winder-Barrow High School from Houston, Texas.  She was significantly behind on her credits and could not graduate on time going the traditional route. Conversations with her counselor, teachers, academic interventionist, and graduation specialist led to her discovering the Accelerated Career Diploma.  Although welding was not a part of her original career trajectory, she saw this as an opportunity to both earn her high school diploma and learn a valuable trade.  Encouraged by her school support team, she quickly enrolled and was the first student to complete the application process.  She buckled down and began participating in class and completing missing assignments needed to improve her grades. 
However, another obstacle soon tried to derail Brooke’s determination and newfound success.  Over the summer, Brooke’s mother’s job was moving them to Florida which meant she would no longer be able to complete her current graduation plan.  She was faced with the choice to move and then drop out and get her GED or join the Job Corps. It seemed that all her hard work and planning toward graduation was unraveling, but Brooke was not ready to give up.  Instead of moving with her mother to Florida, Brooke, with the support of her mother, made the difficult decision to move in with her aunt, allowing her to continue her graduation plan at Winder-Barrow.  
Now, Brooke is thriving. She currently has A’s and B’s in all her classes and has found a passion for welding.  She now envisions pursuing a welding career. Her confidence has been bolstered by her welding instructor and the dean, who both talk to her about her talent and bright future in the field.  Brooke’s personal transformation, resilience, determination, and difficult life decisions allow her to see her full potential.  The insecurities of her younger self are vanishing as she rediscovers the important parts of herself: her likes and dislikes, who and what she does and does not want to surround herself with.  As we inch closer to her 2025 graduation, Brooke will not only be finishing high school, but she will also enter the next chapter of her life with self-confidence, knowledge she can overcome any obstacle, and a clear vision for her future career.  We are incredibly proud of Brooke’s accomplishments and excited to see what the future holds for her!