Valedictorian had gone through tough times, but was able to turn it around and start fresh.

Michael Jeffery's story is truly inspiring. At the height of the pandemic, he lost both his job and his home, forcing him to live in a tent under a bridge in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was a difficult transition for him, as he felt “stuck” in the situation and would not “wish this on anybody.”

Luckily, he was given a second chance and was able to turn his life around. He took advantage of the opportunity to receive his high school diploma at the Goodwill Excel Center, a free high school for adults to complete their education. With hard work and determination, Jeffery was able to finish his studies and was even announced as the valedictorian of his class for a successful school year.

Jeffery expressed that people in his situation are not asking for “pity” but to be afforded the chance to better themselves. He said, “We don’t want pity. A lot of people in this situation is just like me. We want better; we want more.”

The recent high school graduate will become a college freshman at Catholic University for the upcoming fall semester. His new dream is to attend law school, as he has registered as a legal studies major. “Who would’ve thought that I would be studying legal studies, right,” he exclaimed.

The former Waffle House employee is grateful to the Goodwill Excel Center for believing in him and is a firm believer that initiatives such as these provide opportunities to those facing hardship. He said, “A lot of people don’t get that second chance, and Goodwill allowed that second chance for me, and I appreciate that.”

Jeffery hopes his story will be an inspiration to others and is determined to be one of many success stories. He concluded, “There was no hope in this tent, but I found it, so you see how far I’ve came and how far I will get.”

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