Success Stories
Isaiah Rodriguez
Lenape High People’s Choice Award Winner, Margaret Donnelly O’Connor Education Center graduate
“Witnessing Isaiah’s transformation keeps me from becoming discouraged and reminds me that everyone is capable of change.”
Isaiah’s teacher Jennifer Morgan explains why she chose to honor this Homework Club graduate with a 2014 People’s Choice Award from Lenape High School:
“I have struggled to write this for months because Isaiah Rodriguez is difficult to define in a two minute speech. I could tell you about his amazing transformation from a confused freshman who followed the crowd to a focused young man and senior ready to take on the world. You might be impressed to hear that Isaiah gave up his lunch period every day last year to audit my senior English class as a junior. I could wax poetic about the fact that I can mention his name anywhere in this school and students and staff alike will respond, “I love that guy!” I could crack jokes about how mosquitoes refuse to bite Isaiah purely out of respect, his personality is so magnetic that he cannot carry credit cards and his charm is so contagious that they have developed a vaccine for it. However, the most heartfelt thing I can say is Isaiah, thank you for making me a better teacher, a better parent and a better person. Your honesty and openness forces me out of my comfort zone more times than I can count. Your strong faith inspires me to embrace my beliefs without fear or apology. Witnessing your transformation keeps me from becoming discouraged and reminds me that everyone is capable of change. Thank you for being my touchstone and a part of my life.”
