2022 Children’s Defense Fund
Beat The Odds Honorees
Isaiah Wise
Catch Prep Charter High School
Jalya Gordon & Jaylan Gordon
Catch Prep Charter High School
2020 Children’s Defense Fund
Beat The Odds Honorees
Yurhynis Bobo,
Catch Prep Charter High School
My name is Yurhynis Bobo and I am a survivor. Despite the many challenges I've been through, it is my motivation that helps me continue to beat the odds.
I've overcome the loss of multiple people in my life. My birth mother was murdered when I was 3 years old. At age 9, my stepmother died of food poisoning. Not too long after, when I was 12, I was removed from the home of my father.
With a murdered mom and a violent dad, I literally didn't have any people in my life who were willing or capable of taking care of me. That is, until Cynthia found me. Along with her son, Cynthia provided me with a foster home, real love and the kind of care I had never experienced before. We do homework together every night, I show her my STEP routines, she cooks every meal for me, and she's a forever optimist as she helps me envision what my life will be like once I graduate from high school and college. It is because of Cynthia that I have a 3.7 grade point average. And while I still may not know precisely where I come from, I absolutely know who I am and where I'm headed.
Hadassah Johnson,
Catch Prep Charter High School
When I head off to college, I look forward to being in a place where I belong, a dorm room that I will cherish, where I will develop a new routine to keep me focused, happy, and able to be successful every step of the way.
Being homeless in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades taught me that even though bad things can happen to good people, it is important to find a routine that you can rely on to get you through the struggle. My routine was school and I never missed a day. I loved school because it reminded me that I didn't have to be sad all the time. On campus, I could be with my friends, or sit at my desk and not always have to share things the way I had to at the shelter. I "owned" things when I was at school - my pencil belonged to me, I sat in the same spot for lunch everyday-and there was a routine and rhythm about my elementary experience that made me feel safe and normal.
Things are so much better now. My mom and I live in an apartment close to my school. I have a bed that is mine, clothes and school supplies that I own, and I feel connected to my life and future in ways that I never felt before.
Beat The Odds
The CDF Beat the Odds® program honors outstanding high schools students who have overcome tremendous adversity, demonstrated academic excellence and given back to their communities. Started in 1990, the program identifies and rewards young people who have experienced significant hardship in their lives and supports and trains them to become future leaders in adulthood. Their grit and resilience are overwhelming. Their stories give hope and remind us that none of us have a right to give up on any child or youth.
Overview
Each year the CDF Beat the Odds scholarship program selects five high school freshmen who are overcoming tremendous adversity, demonstrating academic commitment and giving back to their communities. Program participants receive the following support needed to matriculate and succeed in college and beyond:
10,000 scholarship
College test preparation
Access to workshops focused on financial aid, financial literacy and essay writing
College counseling and mentoring
Access to college fairs
Internship referrals
Career, and life skills development
Assistance with the college or post-secondary education enrollment process
Additionally, each scholarship recipient will be recognized at the annual CDF Beat the Odds Awards gala in December 2019. Professional, autobiographical films will be produced and shown during the awards ceremony.
Please note all services are offered in the City of Los Angeles and are subject to change
Eligibility Requirements
For consideration in the CDF-California Beat the Odds Scholarship Program, an applicant must:
Be a current high school freshman who lives or goes to school in the greater Los Angeles area;
Be nominated by a teacher, counselor, caseworker or any other unrelated adult who can speak to applicant’s character, commitment to their education, commitment to social justice/community, and the tremendous odds overcome;
Demonstrate progress in overcoming tremendous adversity;
Demonstrate participation in school activities, community organizations, employment, and/or service leadership;
Graduate by July 2022; and
Plan to attend a college, university or vocational school post-graduation.
Ja’Nay Carter, 2017
Most young adults are able to focus on their studies and hang out with their friends but, that wasn’t the case for 18-year-old Ja’Nay Carter. Carter’s life story isn’t picture perfect. She along with her five siblings were raised by their single-parent mother. Her father, who is incarcerated, could not provide for his family with emotional or financial support. As the third oldest sibling, Carter had responsibilities and chores which included helping her younger sisters and brother with homework. However, as her mother became ill, Carter’s household chores began to stack up. She began grocery shopping, cooking dinner, and caring for her sick mother.
“Everybody else had a mother that could do stuff for them, me and my sister were the mother figures to our sisters and brothers, so it was really hard doing everything that my mom couldn’t do for them.”
As time progressed, Carter continued to grow up and soon began the seventh grade. Unfortunately, her mother’s health continued to decline and in September of 2011, she passed away from an autoimmune disease. After her mother’s passing, Carter and her siblings lived with their extended family, which included their godmother, grandmother, and aunt. With the support of her family, she took on the role of raising her younger siblings.
“I don’t think nobody else can go through what I went through and survive like I did and still be a happy person,” said Carter. “My mom was a funny and outgoing lady. She was always there when we needed her and she always had our back.”
“Today, I am a survivor because of my mother. She was hardworking, never gave up, even when she was sick and in pain, she loved me and my siblings unconditionally and taught me to strive toward my dreams. She would be proud of the person I am today,” said Carter.
Some of the greatest advice Carter’s mother gave to her was to, “make your dreams come true.”
“My mother always told me that I’m her genius child. She wanted me to be somebody in life and she wanted me to be better than her. She didn’t want me to go through what she went through. She believed in me and wanted me to go to a four-year university,” said Carter.
Carter’s greatest challenge was and still is living without her mother but, she was determined to focus on her education. Carter used adversity as a tool to motivate and drive her to excel academically, which allowed her to rise as a top scholar in school. Over time, she maintained a 4.1 GPA all while taking care of her siblings.
“My family always told me that they believe I will be somebody,” she said. “They also told me not to give up no matter what, and keep doing what you’re doing, your mother would be proud.”