Wyatt is a friendly, curious, and intelligent student. He learns new concepts and gets to know new people through easy, natural conversation--a quality that is valuable for “real life” but made classroom learning difficult for him. He said he often felt like everything he did at school was wrong because he asked too many questions and his learning style did not align with what teachers wanted him to do. He and his parents explored several different schools and school settings, but Wyatt was always unhappy and barely passed his classes, despite being capable of excelling. 

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When he found the Youth Education Program at Durham Literacy, everything changed. The YEP tutors loved him and his engaging, curious attitude toward learning. They would converse about various subjects until Wyatt had a firm understanding; and once he understood, he could remember everything he’d ever learned. Rather than barely passing, Wyatt achieved high, “college-ready” scores on his HiSET tests--a new experience for him! YEP became a second home and safe haven for Wyatt. Wyatt, his family, and many others have found that YEP was the absolute right fit for someone who had exhausted all other options.

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Wyatt earned his HSE diploma in February 2019, after which he qualified for a promotion that would enable him to do truly interesting, sustaining work at a private aviation firm based out of RDU. This is a dream come true for Wyatt, as he has always been fascinated with cars and planes. He is still in touch with our Durham Futures partners and is exploring college or certificate programs in aviation management. Although we’ll miss having Wyatt around, we are thrilled about all the new doors that are opening for him!