TOLEDO, Ohio — As the school year ends, many students are preparing to head off to college.
Over the past few years some students at Scott High School and their parents have been lucky to get a degree for free, thanks to the work at Hope Toledo.
Cayla Howard and Adrianne Burnett are two of those recipients, who both just finished their first year of college.
Howard graduated from Scott High School last year, and is one of the many students now taking advantage of a full college scholarship, thanks to those at the Hope Toledo foundation.
"When my mom said said, 'We got the scholarship!' And I started crying, I called my grandmother," Howard said.
But, getting into college was not an easy process. Howard is hard of hearing and relies on reading lips. The pandemic hit toward the end of her high school career, which made learning difficult for her, as everyone was wearing masks.
"It was hard to hear my teachers — hard to understand what everyone was saying! It was hard. I struggled with it. It really took a toll on my grades," Howard said.
After a long senior year, and with the financial burden out of the way, she graduated high school and went to college.
Burnett said watching her daughter power through her junior and senior year of high school, despite the challenges she faced, made her an incredibly proud mom.
"It was inspirational, because she could have given up but she didn't," Burnett said.
Now, both are taking college classes: Howard at Central State University and Burnett at Owens Community College.
This is not the first time Burnett has gone to college, but she said it will be the first time she graduates. Getting a second chance is something she will never take for granted.
"We've had many conversations where we've had to cry and motivate each other and we've prayed," Burnett sad.
Howard said she knows many of her fellow Scott High School graduates, and some of their parents, are also succeeding in college thanks to the HOPE Toledo scholarships they received upon graduating.
She now hopes to make those who funded her education proud of her accomplishments.
"To the children that are taking advantage of these scholarships, keep going! You have a lot of people backing you and supporting you and rooting for you," Burnett said.
"We can do great things! It's hard at first but once you get the hang of it, once everyone understands, it will get better," Howard said.