Just into his teenage years at 14, Dinero found his way to Omaha Home for Boys via the Douglas County Youth Center. He admits that he was often hanging out with the wrong crowd and ended up getting in trouble with the law. He regularly skipped school, and if he did find himself in the classroom, he was disruptive and argumentative.

This all began to change when Dinero connected with OHB and enrolled in our on-campus high school. At first, he doubted that the program would be beneficial and considered running away, but at the OHB School, he found that he could quickly accrue school credits. This motivated him to stay the course and trust the process.

In Omaha’s public school system, it is required that students earn 12 credits per school year. Dinero has already earned six credits at the OHB School in just three months, completing half of his Freshman year already. Along with the opportunity to quickly accrue school credits thanks to the self-paced curriculum offered at the OHB School, he also found that the small class sizes and the individualized, one-on-one instruction were a good fit for him.

“Honestly, I thought I would be on the streets all my life,” shared Dinero. “I feel proud of myself and happy to be here. It’s turned out to be something good.”

Carla Andreessen, Education Manager at the OHB School, has seen a lot of growth in Dinero since he first came to her classroom. She describes Dinero as more mature, very responsible and someone who always acts with integrity and respect. One of the things that impresses Carla the most about Dinero is that he is a leader for the other students at the school despite being the youngest student there.

“Other students watch him excel and are motivated by him,” said Carla. “They work harder because they see Dinero achieving credits. He’s never been one to do just the bare minimum. He truly leads by example.”

When thinking about his future, Dinero plans to keep his positive momentum going. He has a goal to complete all of his Freshman year before he graduates from the program and hopes to go to college someday, a thought that hadn’t even crossed his mind before he came to OHB.

“I’m ready to become something that I never thought I could,” said Dinero.