class of 2009 > elizabeth perez carlos

Elizabeth Perez Carlos has a one-year-old son named Hector Jaramillo. He always cries when she leaves him and starts saying, "Mommy." "For me that is a way he tells me he loves me and he is going to miss me, because he needs me."

"I love my baby more than anything! Because of him, I decided to continue school, graduate and even go to college, because he deserves the best, and with me getting my education, I know he'll get it."

She says the Florence Crittenton School has helped her a lot "with everything I needed from class work to family problems. The teachers and the staff are very understanding and respectful, and whenever I needed someone to talk to and give me advice, some was always there."

"I won't forget the people who helped me," she says.

Elizabeth plans to go to college and study to become a medical administrative assistant. "I know there will always be obstacles down the road, but I know we can always overcome them together as a family."

Her advice: "Don't let anything keep you from achieving your dreams. If you set your mind to do it, you can do it. There is no bigger obstacle that yourself not believing you can do it!"