Tiana came to HALO through a local mentoring program. She knew she wanted to go to college, but was struggling making ends meet and finding money for tuition.
Five years later, she has consistently given back to HALO, volunteering with everything from special events to leading workshops for other HALO youth in our Learning Center. She has taught Professional Development skills at the Learning Center, and also has gotten her fellow students and school groups to host art supply drives to benefit the KC Center.
She graduated from Metropolitan Community College with her Associate’s Degree, joined an Honor Society and secured a job on campus. She then transferred to UCM to complete her Bachelor’s degree. She graduates December 2018 with a double major – International Studies, Political Science – and a double minor – Business Administration, World Languages.
In 2017, she studied abroad in the Middle East and Europe, traveling and doing service work in Israel, Palestine, the Netherlands, France, and more. She also joined her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
In March of this year, she applied for a competitive scholarship through her school called Global Vision to do service in another country. Tiana was 1 of the 10 students accepted, and will be leaving for Tanzania mid-June! She would like to return and apply for an internship at HALO, continuing her love of global and local service and volunteering with the HALO family,
HALO is so proud of Tiana and everything she has accomplished. She has overcome adverse experiences that no one should have to go through, let alone, as a teenage girl. Tiana is an inspiration to me and all of us at HALO, and is a prime example of keeping one’s head up and persevering when things get hard. She works daily to better herself and assure she has a successful future ahead of her.Carly Manijak, Kansas City Program Director
