By Nyenya Webster
The Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund has been a life changing experience for my son, Carlos. When my son Carlos was in the fifth grade, he was constantly bullied and I wanted to desperately put him into a private school. Because of his situation, he didn’t want to go to school at all and every day was a struggle. He’s the type of student that learns better when teachers give him attention and work one-on-one with him. I was at a loss as to what to do to help my son. I knew on my teacher’s salary, I could not afford to place him in a private school.
Then I found out about the Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund, an organization that gives scholarships to economically disadvantaged students who are either in a failing public school or who are in a situation like my son Carlos. I applied and received the help I needed to send him to Success Unlimited Academy in Montgomery, Alabama.
Carlos has been at Success Unlimited for five years, and during that time, he has found his comfort zone and his grades have improved. His learning environment is different too because he is getting the attention he needs from the teachers. He is learning in a one-on-one setting where the teachers give him the attention he needs to thrive academically.
Success Unlimited has been a lifesaver for my son. He graduates in two years and is now considering college. My son never talked about going to college before Success.
I would like my son Urijah also have the opportunity to go to Success Unlimited. Currently, however, he his on a waiting list of about 20,000. He also would thrive academically at Success. My vision is for schools to focus more on creating safe and nurturing learning environments instead of worrying so much about money and test scores.
The Alabama Opportunity Scholarship fund has been a life-changing experience for me and my older son. Without it, I don’t know if he would still be in school. It is important that we continue to support this scholarship fund through the Alabama Accountability Act.
Nyenya Webster
Montgomery, Alabama