Living The Breakthrough
Moving through or beyond an obstacle is the dictionary definition of breakthrough. It is also an experience all too familiar for alumni of Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia. Take Charlette Hardy, a Breakthrough Scholar Alumna who attended the program from 2014 to 2016 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh.
“The first time I ever had the thought that I could actually go to college was at Breakthrough,” she said. “I am a first gen – the first person in my family to graduate high school on time, the first person to go to college and graduate, and the first person in my family to go to graduate school.”
Charlette applied to Breakthrough at the urging of a sixth-grade teacher at Andrew Hamilton School in Philadelphia. The sight of the large packet of application forms was daunting: “I was thinking…I don’t know what college is like and why should I be thinking of something seven, eight years down the line?”
But over the years, she realized that the “academic summer camp” was much more than the books, lessons, and fun spirit weeks. She forged long lasting friendships and had experiences – such as writing a column when she thought she wanted to be a journalist in 7th grade – that coalesced around a vision of her future.
“I could see myself at an institution, going to classes…no-one wants to write a paper in the summer but I could see myself academically as being able to do it,” said Charlette. “When it came time to apply to college, having this exposure and skills really set me apart.”
She was accepted at nearly all colleges she applied to, and decided to attend The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania. Although she arrived on campus in the Fall of 2020, when pandemic-related restrictions meant online learning and limited social interactions, Charlette cherished college life.
Ten years after Breakthrough, Charlette is working toward a Master’s in Public Administration at The University of Pittsburgh, and hopes to work in the non-profit sector, which she deems “essential.” She works part-time at the Kingsley Association in Pittsburgh, a community center that offers services and programs to residents, including an after-school program. “Because of Breakthrough, I am so much more appreciative of it because…I have a better understanding about the workings of a non-profit and the resources it provides,” she said.
Breakthrough launched Charlette on a path that is bringing her full circle to give back to the community. “I'm happy that I started at Breakthrough, it was like a stepping stone, but I'm grateful for each stone,” she said. “Without people pouring into me, I wouldn't be able to pour back into other people.”
Contributed by Mara Lemos-Stein
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