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Anfry came to America at a young age from the Dominican Republic, and he found adapting to life in a new country to be a challenge.

Anfry: “It wasn't expected for me to move out of a different country and come into a new environment where I would have to obviously adapt to a different form of government structure and language barrier. Some of the challenges included adapting to the adverse environment that I had been introduced to and the people that I had to come in contact with."

Yet, the bilingual courses offered at Anfry’s middle school gave him the foundation he needed in order to adjust and also succeed at academics.

Anfry: “The school that I went to provided the opportunity of bilingual courses. So that’s where I started off at, taking bilingual courses from 6th grade to 7th grade. Then moving on to my 8th grade year, I already was equipped enough to be able to take courses with those who speak fluent English fluently. It was really helpful.

The encouragement of caring teachers who went out of their way to make a connection with Anfry made a significant difference and impact on his life.

Anfry: "Mr Reese was a really good professor because I wasn't that much of an academic student growing up, especially when it came to math. But Mr Reese was real lenient with me through the process, through the journey of it. So he definitely helped me grow and mature as well as finding my interests and my common ground. He was not just doing just a job for money but also doing it out of care and respect."

Despite the academic support, Anfry still had a hard time at school, but support from his peers inspired him to work towards improving his grades.

Anfry: "Freshman year started off rocky, I was not necessarily an academically, disciplined student, but towards the end of my freshman year, I had came across somebody who helped me get back on track academically. My girlfriend was far more academically disciplined than me, so when she had showed me her grades, we had a conversation, it actually inspired me to want to do better for myself."

As Anfry matured and faced growing pains and other adverse experiences, he learned to lean on his faith and the faith-based youth organization, UrbanPromise Trenton, to stay steady.

Anfry: "Moving on to college a downturn happened, but then that's when eventually encountering my faith in college really empowered me and helped me grow up much more maturely in eloquence, and the choices and decisions that I chose to make in the way that I live my life as well."

"UrbanPromise Trenton focused on helping us grow and mature, as leaders, to grow academically, be able to grow financially, even if it was not much they still taught us, teaching us the basic things of financial literacy, and spirituality as well, too."

At UrbanPromise Trenton, Anfry was inspired by the kindness and guidance of the organization’s Street Leader director to live a more positive life. Her intervention helped Anfry become a youth leader in the organization, and to develop the skills he needed to build towards a positive life.

Anfry: "Her name is Ms. Elise, she looked out for me… she herself attended college as well too, so she looked out from the perspective of like Mr Reese, with friendship. She's developing that friendship, personal relationship with the youth….so just developing that with them is really what encourages you. The things that you watch them do."

It truly takes a village to raise a youth, and caring positive adult role models at school or at a faith-based program can be an invaluable resource in a child’s personal development. These trained professionals can help guide a child to stay in school, learn healthy behaviors and develop the skills necessary to build resilience and even mental and spiritual wellness.