Homeless Teen Finally Gets Diploma, Inspires Change For Other Homeless Youth

High school senior Rosa Bracero is the victim of some very bad timing, New York Daily News reports. On the same day that the 17-year-old was supposed to take her last exams to qualify for her high school diploma, her family was evicted from their New York home. When the family went to a homeless intake center, staff told the family it would be denied shelter if the teen left to take the English Regents exam.

Bracero's school, Brooklyn's High School for Civil Rights, allowed her to take a makeup exam. But she was told by the state that her exam will be invalidated because regulations forbid makeup Regents exams to discourage cheating.

To help ease her family's economic problems, Rosa worked hard to finish all of her credits in 3-1/2 years, and had been on track to graduate this week. She was even accepted into Lincoln Technical Institute and aced the entrance exam, scoring a 490 out of a possible 500 on the English assessment. But she still has no high school diploma.

"I'm tired of being without a home," said the aspiring automobile technician. "I love learning ... but I want to further my education so I can get a job. I want to help take care of my family."

Now, four months later, Bracero has finally been allowed to take the Regents exam. When she got the news that she passed, the teen was ecstatic.

"I was so excited, I started jumping up and down," Bracero said.

After the New York Daily News reported Bracero's story back in February, a flurry of media coverage inspired concerned citizens to take action by writing letters to New York city officials. The backlash caused Education Commissioner David Steiner to vow to change the city's policy. Because of Bracero's story, students are no longer required to sit through homeless shelter intake sessions if they have an important exam to take.

Bracero is continuing her education at Lincoln Technical Institute and applying for after-school jobs. Her family hopes to move to an apartment in Queens in upcoming months.

Comments

[stargazer13]

01:26 PM on 02/14/2010

it is past time to put a moratorium on all fore closers until we can get to the bottom of this mess !!

[socalcde]

02:54 PM on 02/09/2010

Bureaucracy in action.

[land2341]

08:04 PM on 02/07/2010

I am floored by the homeless shelter's part in this. I expect boorish incompetence from bureaucrats, but not from those who are actually in the business of helping......

Trained incapacity = slavish adherence to rules without any ability to use personal judgement - plenty of this to go around.

[Bluemax1]

04:42 AM on 02/09/2010

I see it everyday when you give a "little person" power
they enjoy abusing it.

[Iehi Aour]

06:01 PM on 02/05/2010

Seems to me that the cool thing to do would be for the Lincoln Institute to allow her to matriculate and go on with her work while the state nincompoops work on figuring out their a**holes from their elbows. I am going to send a letter to Gov. Paterson's office immediately. He should intervene personally.

[HockeyMom]

05:48 PM on 02/05/2010

More mindless bureaucrats following mindless rules.

[Aldyth]

04:46 PM on 02/05/2010

We tell people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

This one does and then the bureaucracy knocks the bootstraps right out of her hands.

[Linda Casey]

02:54 PM on 02/05/2010

And people wonder why kids give up when they are told NO, esp. under those conditions. I can't honestly believe that a shelter would do such a thing to someone who is trying to do the right thing (taking an exam to graduate).

Oh and I love how the State of New York will also hold up a diploma if you fail gym class. Totally reinforces my belief that the education system here (as well as across the country) really needs to be reassessed!

[skunky93]

01:44 PM on 02/05/2010

I know there are people out there in the right positions with the right friends and a little heart. Where are they so that this story can be forwarded to them? This is another example of the system beating down a kid before they even get their start in life. Her potential is so strong and yet it has more chance of being ruined bc she will feel forced to start working and quit her dreams to help her family instead. Please share details about how we can help. I'll start drafting a letter immediately. She deserves her chance.

[HockeyMom]

05:51 PM on 02/05/2010

How about we create a society where everyone is in the right position to have a friend with a little heart. It is not just her that needs saving with a little heart, but millions and millions of children and young adults.

[bgofca]

12:21 PM on 02/05/2010

yeah, the state ed. dept person said she could take the test in june.....continue to live in a shelter, not be able to go to school to get training for a job for several extra months... the ed dept person needs to loose their job and then loose their home, and have to live in a shelter for awhile. they should be encouraging this young person instead of holding her back. Also, the jerk at the shelter should've allowed her to go take the test in the first place. Rules should be guide lines, but special circumstances do need to be considered.

[LyssaBarnes]

12:01 PM on 02/05/2010

This is the most (Rahm's word for liberals) thing ever. Here you have a teen that wants to do the right thing and is being denied because of utter foolishness. Yet the courts of this same government system will throw the book at a teen that turns to a life of crime after being beat down by the system. How many more stories like this exist but are not heard of?

[GravitonX]

09:41 AM on 02/05/2010

Fk this country

[Dangerous Dan]

10:39 AM on 02/05/2010

Yeah, Depending on Government for anything sucks.
Government, at any level, will let you down, when you most need it.
Rosa has the fortitude to go forward in spite of Government bureaucracy.
Never surrender to circumstance. Never move backwards.
.
Government, POLITICIANS, not Country.

[klarason]

03:55 AM on 02/06/2010

Without the government she wouldn't even have an education...derrr....

[LeftRight]

09:40 PM on 02/06/2010

Of course, without the governmemt she wouldn't have ANY education beyond what her employer taught her when she was 5 and started working in a factory.....

[Vxx]

10:26 PM on 02/04/2010

Here.. .not only an "f.u." from one set of authorities, but a few other sets want to kick you while you're down. It doesn't matter HOW you organize large groups of people (be it corporate or government)... this kind of "I'm not thinking just enforcing policy" nonsense seems to happen.

[CrazedSurfer]

07:29 AM on 02/05/2010

That's why I don't care for large organizations.

[karela]

09:47 PM on 02/04/2010

What a crock! Let's make lots of noise. It's the only thing that government responds to.

[TXfemmom]

09:45 PM on 02/04/2010

The Governor needs to intercede in this and see that this young woman gets her diploma. Her history and other grades would indicate that she would have aced the test, but the intake people should have their arses kicked, as well, for saying she couldn' t leave to take the test. All they had to do was place a call to the school and verify that she was scheduled for the test. With things being as difficult as they are now, one would think that people would want to assist kids who are trying to make something of their lives and help their families.

[WeCanDoMore]

12:48 AM on 02/05/2010

Agreed. We need compassion in our policies, not regluation regurgitation. This is inhumane. Bureaucrats,, civil service. . . need permission and even encouragement to use desecration, it will make the world a better place.

[IrisMozenter]

12:11 PM on 02/05/2010

I suggest that those of you who live in the area contact your representatives to try to help this young woman. It's amazing what shedding a little light can do.

[lcr999]

08:41 PM on 02/04/2010

More crap by the NYS board of regents