College Readiness

Jordyn, age 19, was referred to My Life My Choice at the age of 16. She had been exploited online and also experienced intrafamilial, or family-controlled CSEC on and off throughout her life. Our service model seeks to address exploitation at its roots – not only what is happening now, but the factors that allowed it to begin and contribute to its continuation. For Jordyn, this involved support from both our Survivor Mentoring and case management teams.   

Jordyn’s Survivor Mentor and Case Manager have been a formidable team, helping her tackle and address challenges while serving as a sounding board as she made choices to chart her own path forward. Being involved in DCF and the challenges she was facing led to her moving frequently and interruptions in her schooling. When she joined My Life My Choice, she was at risk of not graduating high school. Her team worked with the guidance counselor to recover class credits she had earned that had been overlooked due to frequent transfers between schools. Jordyn’s My Life My Choice team also supported her by helping her build healthy relationships with parents and peers, establishing boundaries, and conducting safety planning around challenges as they arose. The shared lived experiences between Jordyn and her Survivor Mentor helped Jordyn see a different future for herself, and her case manager helped her turn that vision into actionable goals, including applying for college.   

Today, Jordyn is attending community college after graduating high school on time. She has also begun working and has been successful staying in her job. She has decided to remain involved with DCF so she can continue to utilize the stabilizing resources available and has developed strong skills around advocating for herself. Her team shared that she is smart and driven and that they “can’t even explain how much she’s grown in a year”. She ended her services with My Life My Choice this past summer, and we are so proud of the way in which she has taken charge of her life and for the opportunity to be a part of her journey.