Joab Found Hope Through CIS

Joab describes his senior year as one of the most difficult times in his life. He was carrying a lot beyond the classroom — challenges at home, growing tension in his home country, and a persistent inner voice telling him, “You’ll never be what people expect. You will always be a disappointment.” Then when a relationship he relied on for happiness ended, it felt like everything in his life was falling apart. 

In that moment, Joab felt completely alone. He remembers thinking, “If someone comes for me, it will be my sign that things can get better.” 

That’s when his Communities In Schools® (CIS®) site coordinator, Ms. Gonzales, arrived. 

“I knew then that she truly meant she would be there for me when I needed it,” Joab said. The two sat together and talked for over three hours.

After that day, I realized that whenever you feel like there's nothing left, there will be someone that believes you're worth it — that you deserve more, that you should keep going, that you should dream, and that you should keep believing. I found that person in Ms. Gonzales.

— Joab, 2025 CIS Alumnus 

That support stayed with him. On the day of his senior photoshoot, Joab walked in wearing his cap and gown and told Ms. Gonzales, “I'm here because of you — because you were there for me. I'm gonna make it.”

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