Siblings
Teaching & Learning Together
Lajla and Dalila’s parents moved to the United States from Bosnia in 2001 to give their future family a better life. They had completed trade school in Bosnia, but the US educational system was not familiar to them. However, they ingrained in their daughters that college is an expectation…and Breakthrough Manchester is helping them meet this expectation.
Lajla, in her sixth year at Breakthrough and a senior at Central High School, will begin Criminology studies at St. Anselm in the fall - her first choice for college! A few weeks ago this option didn’t seem accessible, but through consistent and honest communication with the Department of Financial Aid, Lajla received a viable package. Meanwhile, her younger sister, Dalila, just completed her first year of Breakthrough and can’t wait for her 8th-grade summer which will be the first fully in-person Breakthrough summer in 3 years!
Discovering Breakthrough Manchester
During Breakthough’s annual visit to Hillside when Lajla was in 6th grade, she was surprised and delighted to learn this program was just what she needed to help her along her path to college. Talking about being “college-bound” is what initially drew Lajla to the program, but the spirited community and the idea of preparation for classes in the upcoming school year were what hooked her. In addition to completing her sixth and final year of Breakthrough, Lajla joined us as a Teaching Intern this school year.
Although Dalila was only in first grade when Lajla started BTM, she remembers Lajla coming home every day that summer raving about her experience. Naturally, when Chau presented Breakthrough to Dalila's 6th-grade class, she was super excited - even if it was on Zoom! She even filled out the entire application, including her essay, that very day. The excitement mounted when she was asked for an interview and ultimately offered a spot in Breakthrough’s class of 2027! Upon being accepted to the program, Dalila recalls running into Lajla’s room to celebrate!
