This year, James begins his senior year at a local high school. His journey hasn’t been easy. James lost his mom to cancer during his freshman year, and not long after, his dad was incarcerated. His mom had been a well-known afterschool program director, and her absence has been felt at every milestone since, such as his promotion at a local chain restaurant, planning his life after graduation, and senior photos. And now, as senior year unfolds, James faces big moments ahead like homecoming, prom, and graduation without her by his side.
The incarceration cycle is one that often leaves our students without a stable place to live. James tried living in a more steady situation with family, but when his dad returned from jail that year, he chose to live with him. Unfortunately, that ended abruptly when his dad reoffended
and was incarcerated again, leaving James once more without consistency. Since then, family members and friends have opened their doors for weeks or months at a time, and James has learned to adapt by sleeping where he can, carrying what he needs, and still making sure he gets to school.
When we first met him, he was a quiet student, often wearing a locket with his mom’s picture inside. This week, he asked his case manager for something simple but essential: an umbrella and a raincoat, so he could face the fall weather on his daily walk to school.
Food is another inconsistency. Feeding a teenage boy is never easy, especially when you’ve suddenly added him to your household on a limited income. Groceries stretch fast, and James often feels the hunger that comes with uncertainty about where the next meal will come from. Meals are pieced together from food pantries, school lunches, or whatever’s available in the fridge at a friend’s house. Yet even with this challenge, he remains focused on his education.
Alongside food, the basics like hygiene supplies are often out of reach for students in unstable living situations. Through SHIP’s Homeless for the Holidays campaign, essentials like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorant are collected each year to help students like James meet their most basic needs while they focus on school and their future.
Despite these challenges, James’ persistence shows up in so many ways. It took him 18 months to complete what is normally a two-week driver’s education course, simply because he didn’t have a regular nighttime residence where he could consistently log in for the required evening sessions. Still, he kept going until he finished.
Despite it all, James continues to show up. He has completed New Horizons Summer Academy for two years in a row, earning extra credits toward graduation. No matter where he’s staying such as a cousin’s house in Adamstown, a hotel on the Golden Mile with his dad on occasion over the years, or a friend’s house on Rosemont, he finds his way to school. Sometimes it means walking, catching a bus, and sometimes asking around for a ride. But ultimately, James arrives.
“My mom always encouraged me and the other kids she knew. I try to remember her saying, ‘Come on, James, get to school.’ Some days it gets a little hard to remember what her voice sounds like. But right now, I can still hear it.” This December will mark three years since James’ mom passed away, yet her words still guide him every day.
James’ case manager reflected on him with admiration, noting his cooperative spirit, positive attitude, and quiet strength. “You would never know what he’s been through, until you see the photo in that locket.” We believe James will make it. He has SHIP, his teachers, and many others who care in his corner.
For James, this is what senior year looks like: resilience, determination, and the steady encouragement of a community that refuses to let him walk this path alone.