Haylea is from the small community of Hurley in Buchanan County. At only 19 years old, she has already confronted some challenges in her life. When she was in middle school, she was removed from her home and she and her siblings were placed with extended family members.

While living with extended family, Haylea rebelled throughout high school and longed to be more independent. It was as a high school freshman that Haylea was first introduced to People Incorporated’s Project Discovery program. Project Discovery is a statewide dropout prevention and college access program that helps students like Haylea set goals, visit colleges, and successfully navigate the admissions process.

For Haylea, Project Discovery was something to do – and it involved trips out of state to tour colleges. She jumped into the program, attended almost every after-school workshop, and toured eight college campuses. She volunteered as part of the program’s Operation Christmas Child and visited Washington, D.C., with Project Discovery. What originally started as a way for Haylea to access independence transformed into an enriching experience for her, introducing her to experiences and places she had never thought possible.

Project Discovery did more than just give Haylea academic and college access support. She formed tighter bonds with her friends and made new ones in the program. She found that she could talk to and confide in People Incorporated’s staff. For Haylea, Project Discovery wasn’t just a college access program, it was also a support system.

Haylea blossomed in the program during her last years in high school, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. She was one of the few students to consistently log into the program’s virtual meetings and was open about how quarantine and the pandemic was affecting her. Like other high schoolers, Haylea struggled while unable to attend school in person and missed out on what would have been a normal high school experience. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Haylea took advantage of the tools and resources provided to her by Project Discovery, studied hard and graduated with honors. With a solid foundation laid, Haylea is now forging her own path.

Haylea graduated top 10 in her class last year and was granted a scholarship to attend Berea College. Although college has come with its own set of challenges, Haylea is proud of everything she has accomplished so far. She is considering what to major in and knows that she wants a career that will allow her to help others. “I want to be able to talk to people and actually help them,” said Haylea. For her, the future is looking bright. “Hopefully, within the next five years, I’ll have a decent paying job after graduating and live somewhere kind of like back home,” said Haylea. “That’s my goal.”