Aspiration: a hope or ambition of achieving something new
This is a story of one girl’s aspirations. One girl’s dreams. It’s a story of redemption and victory. This is the success of our Aspirations program in Ileana’s life.
At a very young age, Ileana was rescued from abuse by her older sister. They ran away from their destructive home life and came to the Deborah House. At first, Ileana was extremely shy and kept to herself. After a few years she became outgoing and her bubbly personality lit up the room. She transitioned to the Aspirations program when she was 18.
Ileana was an excellent student and interested in handball (which is a Romanian sport that is a mixture of what we know as basketball and soccer). The staff at Deborah House recognized her talent and encouraged her in her studies and skills. As a result of her drive and determination, she was able to try out for a sports high school that only the top athletes went to. Despite the lack of coaching she had received compared to the other players trying out, Ileana did really well. At her try-outs, a local handball coach recognized her natural ability and desire. She excelled at the school academically and in handball, and received a scholarship to University.
She now has two beautiful children and will be going back this year to get her Masters degree since her oldest daughter is starting kindergarten. Ileana still stays in touch with her “Deborah sisters” and her story continues to be a real inspiration for the girls.
**While the story is true, the name used is generic in order to protect the persona of the youth involved**