Dakari’s Story
Dakari has been going to Support Circles since she was in middle school. Her favorite parts were always having dinner, trying new foods, and learning new things. The children’s program helped Dakari move out of being shy and stand-offish to being able to talk and interact more with others.
She struggled with learning differences that made school really tough. But in eleventh grade, when it almost seemed hopeless, Dakari was allowed to be part of an alternative program that catered to her learning skills. When she did things experientially, they made sense to her. She caught up and graduated on time with her class. Dakari is most proud of that. She always wanted to show herself and others she could do it.
It felt so amazing when I walked across that stage. I had been waiting for this, wanted this so much!” said Dakari. Some of the people who told her she would never graduate were now congratulating her – it was surreal.
Dakari thinks about her future story often. She wants to go to culinary school and be a chef. “I get in the zone when I am cooking, I love it so much. One day I hope to own a restaurant.” When the next Circles class starts, she plans on participating as an adult so she can make her future dreams a reality. She saw how Circles helped her with schoolwork and personal growth when she was young; now she is looking forward to moving on to the rest of her life.