“Before Bridge I was just a spoiled little girl,” she reflects, “but when I got here everything changed. I needed to work for everything I wanted.”
When Leah was eighteen, her father asked her to leave home. She moved in with friends, but that didn’t work out the way Leah had hoped. Leah’s mother wasn’t receptive to Leah moving in with her, and suggested she make contact with Bridge. Mad, confused and feeling resentful, Leah asked for Bridge’s help and they extended their hand. While waiting for a spot at a Bridge home, Leah spent two weeks at a shelter. The experience opened her eyes. “I went there and saw alcoholics, |
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people on drugs, people holding out cups for change. And I thought, I’m not going to be like that. I’m going to change my life.”
Leah is now looking forward to what the future holds. “I want to study psychology. I want to go all the way and get my PhD. I’m going to a community college in the fall and want to eventually transfer [to Suffolk University]. Because of the way Bridge helped me, I want to help people. I’ve learned you just have to make sure you fulfill your life. Just do what you have to do. Take the chance. Don’t let anybody stop you.” |
