Ariel Leachman is like many of her peers as she prepares to say goodbye to high school and hello to college, in her case Barnard College in New York City: "I am looking forward to being in a place where I know I am preparing myself for a future career, learning skills and things that I will be really using in my future," she explains. Ariel plans to study business and has set her sights on a career in the corporate world.
As she looks back at her time at ABC, she appreciates the experience of being connected with "people who see something in me and push me and foster it in me. I've learned to become more self sufficient; I know how to look for resources around me to help me reach my goals."
Ariel also leaves ABC with equal parts gratitude for her opportunities here and a heightened understanding of what she terms," the big picture." It is this world view that she would pass on to the next generation of ABC freshmen: " I would tell them to keep their eye on the big picture and their role in it by being here. Programs like ABC definitely help those who do not have the opportunities in their own communities to achieve."
And here Ariel's well honed social consciousness meets her entrepreneurial spirit: "ABC is one answer to the problem. But I don't want people to get comfortable with the way things are; we need to continue to push it, to create change that helps for everyone."
We have little doubt that Ariel will be integral to that change. Congratulations Ariel!