Blog: May 2014

The Art of the Road Trip: Chapter 3
May 9, 2014

Yormelis is a freshman at the UrbanPromise Academy. When you first meet her, you’d never expect the witty, take charge personality that emerges from underneath her reserved, quiet exterior. Yormelis moved here from Puerto Rico six months ago and has thrown herself whole-heartedly into everything that UrbanPromise has to offer:

A few weeks ago, Yormelis decided she wanted to ride in the Pedal for Promise. So we put her on a bike, taught her how to use it, and then she rode 23 miles across the Ben Franklin Bridge.

Last week, Yormelis went with the UrbanTrekkers to Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She had never been hiking before or been away from her family for more than two days. So we took her to New Hampshire for five days, where she hiked 6 miles on a steep, ice-covered trail to Tuckerman’s Ravine. She was the first student to reach the summit.

Yormelis excels at the UrbanPromise Academy, getting A’s in her classes despite English being her second language. On the side, she’s teaching herself to speak Korean.

Students like Yormelis bring the Trekker staff joy, encourage us in our work, and push us to strive for excellence and be creative in our programs. We are thankful for her and thankful for our supporters that make the UrbanTrekker program possible.

Keep on trekking,

Julia

Subscribe to Blog: May 2014