[AUDIO LOGO] SPEAKER: OTAN-- Outreach and Technical Assistance Network. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: My name is Jazzmyn Nicole Williams, and I'm originally from Visalia, but I was born and raised in Los Angeles and Long Beach. 

GINGER ALLEN: Her parents were not able to give their family stability of a place to live. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: When I was growing up, I went to 10 different schools, and the reason why I went to 10 different schools is because of my parent's habit. 

GINGER ALLEN: It wasn't just surfing friends' couches. It was sometimes that, and it was sometimes sleeping in parks. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: It's part of why we had to move so much because alcoholism, like I said, it's a strong poison for my family. 

GINGER ALLEN: She had some really hard experiences when she was in school, and she found herself just staring off in the corner, just not believing that she even had it in her purview to learn. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: And I said, can't you imagine having somebody say that? Not even at 14, 15. Can you imagine a teacher telling your parent you don't know anything. And I believed it. 

GINGER ALLEN: This little girl that Jazzmyn was back then had to go to school after not sleeping well or I'm guessing probably eating. Of course, she wasn't able to focus in school. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: A lot of confidence leaves you when you don't feel like you're going to make it. Everybody is ahead of you. I understood what I need to do for my kids. I need to work. I had jobs. I had two jobs. But that wasn't enough. Nobody's going to want to hire me if I don't know the things I need to know. 

ALISON WAHLEN: She just has the wonderfully, most pure, open heart and soul of anybody that I've ever met. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: It doesn't matter how older we get, how mature, how much knowledge we still get. Sometimes, we go back to feeling like that little child again. 

GINGER ALLEN: I think of Jazzmyn as being a highly sensitive person, and people who are highly sensitive often are very for others. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: I love the fact that my teachers will be like, do you need a moment? Pull your computer away. Push it away from the desk a little bit. Breathe. Go outside. And that helped out. I'm sorry. That helped out a lot. 

LAUREN HALEY: She got the confidence to come in person and start learning more in person. And I think that was really the turning point for Jazzmyn's story at our school. 

GINGER ALLEN: She only needs 10 credits to graduate. Let's talk to her about maybe switching over to high school diploma and getting through more quickly. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: I just couldn't stop smiling. And I remember my cheeks were hurting me because I had the biggest smile on my face. 

GINGER ALLEN: When she got to us, she had to develop good study skills in order to succeed. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: Color envelopes, color coordinations, highlighters, different color pens. I've learned a lot of study skills when I was doing the high school program. 

LAUREN HALEY: No, this is my goal. I'm going to come back, and I'm going to keep trying. And that was really fun to see. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: It takes a lot of willpower to keep your head straight and just focus on what you want. 

ALISON WAHLEN: I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can do this. And I was, you know, you can do it. I see it in you. I have confidence in you. In fact, I have confidence for both of us. 

GINGER ALLEN: Jazzmyn is a person who has such a huge heart. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: When I worked for Casa Grande Assisted Living, I worked with people that have Alzheimer's and dementia. And I found my peace. 

GINGER ALLEN: I just came to really believe in her. And I'm so excited for her to be pursuing the CNA track. 

ALISON WAHLEN: We consider our students belonging to all the teachers at the adult school. It's not my student and your student, it's our students. 

JAZZMYN WILLIAMS: This is a dream to get my diploma and to actually become something that I want. 

GINGER ALLEN: I'm just so proud of her, and I think she deserves it 100%. 

[MUSIC PLAYING]