Guard Rails: A Testimonial

I grew up as a sheltered child who was not outgoing before joining Pathways. I was not huge on trying to meet new people who did not benefit me in some way, and it negatively affected some of the relationships I had with classmates or other people I’d met. Around middle school, my mom told me that she had signed me up for a program called Pathways/Senderos. I wasn’t a big fan of after-school programs as I thought it would take up a

lot of my free time; I’d been a part of some, but I never seemed to stick in right. When I first came to Pathways, I instantly felt a sense of being at home. This program was different from the others, everyone was very kind, friendly, and outgoing. The staff such as made you feel welcome, helping me fit into the program and it made me feel nice.

The environment that Pathways/Senderos creates for its members is like nothing I have seen before. It creates lasting personal relationships, and I consider the people in it almost like a second family. It also has a great way of teaching the youth valuable life skills such as its main goal of social growth along with proper academic tutoring. We learned in-depth how to prevent teenage discomfort and increase confidence. The staff was always more than happy to help you out with homework and other school-related things. Pathways helps shape you into a great member of society as I have seen with alumni who visit our program often and as they have done with me.

Seeing how great alumni from Pathways have driven me and I’m sure others to be as great as they are. Some of the alumni that personally motivated me to succeed were people such as Diego, Danerick, and Syed whom I’ve seen do great things with their lives. I would’ve never met these people if it weren’t for Pathways/Senderos and to see they had similar upbringings as I did makes me feel like I can do it too. All guided by Pathways are able to do great things in their life is what I have come to believe. The staff were always there to mentor you if you had any questions about anything have it been school-related or a random question. I benefited from this as I had never had someone with whom I could really say the things I wanted to get out such as things about history

or unrelated topics. I know well that its members greatly benefit from this as I did, had I not joined Pathways I believe I would’ve been very different. I truly believe that programs like Pathways/Senderos are

very important as they bring people together in the community as they have done in New Britain and teach our youth things that sometimes aren’t taught at home but are essential to being members of society. I hope more programs like Pathways/Senderos reach our youth as they

positively impacted my life, and they could also impact theirs.

I hope I can make Pathways proud as I go off to college for Computer Science and I too can be used as inspiration for another kid that might need that extra push as Pathways inspired me. Pathways/Senderos has been the guardrails that have guided me in life, and I am eternally

grateful for all the people who have helped me along my journey through middle school, and high school and continue to do so as I navigate through college.