Valerie Myrick

October 2019

Valerie Myrick, Student Success Story, Communities In Schools of Greater Greensboro

A ConvaTec Apprentice!

Here is a look behind the curtains of our first ConvaTec apprentice, Ms. Valerie Myrick.

Before Communities In Schools of Greater Greensboro® (CISGG) and her apprenticeship at ConvaTec, Valerie struggled with not being the perfect, A+ student. She did not have enough school support, she felt out- of- place, she doubted herself, and she wasn’t doing her best in high school. At home, Valerie’s mom was working three jobs, they lost their home, her Dad wasn’t present in her life, and there was a lot of negativity in her neighborhood, including gang violence and risky peer influence.

Valerie needed someone to talk to about the problems occurring in her life. Her family did not discuss problems. She felt like she wasn’t being heard. Along with receiving guidance from her guidance counselors, CIS provided a safe place where she could talk about and receive help with personal and school challenges, and have a one-on-one relationship with caring adults such as Mses. Carter and McMillan at CIS/Smith HS, and Mr. Arnell and Ms. Meadows at ConvaTec. When surrounded by doubt, CISGG and ConvaTec showed Valerie that they believed in her.

Currently, Valerie is an 18-year-old first-year student at Guilford College. After her first year at ConvaTec, Valerie describes herself as a more positive, goal-oriented, focused and peaceful person. She does not allow anyone to shake her faith or confidence. She isn’t afraid to ask for help, and she takes the initiative to take advantage of the resources available to her. She enjoys an improved relationship with her mom and is fully enjoying her life! She feels her work-school-life balance is excellent. She enjoys spending time with friends and participating in clubs in college!

A quote that Valerie likes is “Take a chance because you never know how perfect something can turn out”- J.Cole.

We’re so proud of Valerie and the opportunity that ConvaTec provided!

For more information about ConvaTec, the apprenticeship that Valerie is currently apart of, https://www.cisgg.org/apprenticeshipprogram-convatec.html

For more information, please go to www.cisgg.org. To donate, please click on the link: Donate!