Meet Yesi. Born in Ethiopia, she came to the U.S. to attend school, an impossibility in Ethiopia as the youngest child of a poor family.

She was adopted by a foster family, but then kicked out for participating in a LGBTQ pride parade. With few friends and no family nearby, Yesi was suddenly homeless.

After a terrifying experience at an adult shelter, Yesi found Larkin Street. We quickly placed her into a transitional housing program, where she could stay for up to two years.

With housing no longer a concern, Yesi completed our Bridge Academy, an intensive program that prepares young people for college and career paths.

“I was the first person to go to school out of my family…learning English was so hard!” Yesi shares.

Today, Yesi hopes to attend City College of San Francisco to study communications and Spanish so she can pursue her goal of becoming a flight attendant.

“When I was little, I saw airplanes all the time, and knew I wanted to fly in one someday. Now, I want to pursue this dream because I feel like everybody should get a chance to see the world.”

Will you help Yesi reach her goal? Donate today!

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Every gift made before June 30 will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, thanks to the generosity of LinkedIn!

We want to thank LinkedIn for their support of our programs around job readiness and workforce development.