How Association House High School Gave Sheri Her Second Wind

When asked where she sees herself in ten years, 17-year-old Sheri responds with the clarity of a fortune teller: "By then, I'll be in my third year of being a lawyer, working for a big-time corporation—on my way to being a millionaire. By the time I'm 30, I'm gonna be raising kids." Her confidence is infectious: when she believes in something—especially herself—you believe it too.

But there was a time when the future didn't seem as certain. At 14, Sheri turned her straight A's into admission to Lane Tech, one of Chicago's most prestigious and selective high schools. As a freshman, she was thriving and her ambitious personality was already starting to blossom. In addition to her studies, she ran an online business selling decorated phone cases that quickly took over the hallways at Lane.

But during that same year, her life was flipped on its head. She lost her father, and was forced to enter the Chicago foster care system. A sudden move landed her at a new school in an unfamiliar neighborhood—one she says lacked the academic support and social climate that had allowed her to succeed.

"It was such a crazy period in my life. I really hit rock bottom," she says. "I thought I was doomed. Things can be going so well one minute, and then it can all fall apart. It really humbled me."

The sudden destabilization shook her faith in herself, and it started to affect things she had always taken for granted. Her dedication to school took a backseat to partying, an escape during a dark period. Her grades slipped, and before she knew it, she was no longer on track to graduate on time. School administrators recommended Saturday school.

"I never imagined I would be in that position. I'd always had the highest academic honors in school. But I was just so drained," Sheri says.

She credits her U.S History teacher at that time with seeing her potential beyond her grades. At a critical point, he encouraged her to make the transfer to Association House's alternative high school.

"He could tell I wasn't getting what I needed at that school," Sheri told us. "I'd always loved history and I just trusted him. It had come to a point where it was either drop out or keep going. But he sparked that confidence I have in me. I was like, 'No, girl. You've gotta win.'"

Sheri accepts a certificate of honors from Jahmal Cole of My Block, My Hood, My City after speaking on a panel about urban youth issues.

Just a few years later, Sheri is getting ready to deliver a speech to her classmates as the 2026 valedictorian at AHHS. She's been accepted at 46 different colleges and universities, but has committed to two years at Northeastern Illinois before closing out a Bachelor's in Finance at Urbana-Champaign. (She tells us it's a strategic move: she wants the college experience, but doesn't want to go straight to a "party school.")

Even more impressive? With a scholarship from DCFS, and additional tuition reimbursement from her part-time job at Chipotle, she's going with a full ride. In the leadup, she has a summer internship with the Chicago Transit Authority legal team.

Sheri & Ms. Lyle, one of her many mentors at AHHS.

Association House High School was the key for her. The one-on-one support she received during class, along with post-secondary mentorship, reignited the passion she had for school. She appreciated how AHHS allowed her to construct her course schedule based on her genuine interests, and dedicated class time to set her up for success after graduation with workforce training courses & internship opportunities. Her teachers Ms. Sabrina and Mr. Noack inspired her to take her dream of being a lawyer seriously again.

"I want to break the stigma that alternative high school is not a "real" high school. People should understand that coming to a school like this means the work isn't gonna be there. Trust me, the work is there," she told us, eyes very wide with the memory of late nights spent doing homework.

During her time with Association House, Sheri took matters into her own hands to break that exact stigma. As part of her marketing internship with the Development team at Association House, she led a photoshoot with her classmates' self-organized basketball team, taking high-quality portraits of each player to get students excited about the season on social media. They came in handy when the team made it to the Alternative Schools Network league playoffs.

Sheri took the initiative to take student athlete portraits for her school, bringing excitement and a sense of professionalism to its newly formed basketball team.

With graduation in sight, Sheri is on a mission to keep challenging expectations. As a young trans woman, it's not lost on her that she's graduating at the top of her class during pride month at a historically contentious time for LGBTQ rights. She's looking forward to shouting out trans rights leader Marsha P. Johnson during her graduation speech.

"I've known who I was for a long time. I came out when I was 10 years old. But when I was first starting my transition it was a different time. Things have gotten so dark," she told us. "But my thing is, I'm never going to sit around defending my identity to anybody. If you're mad, stay mad. You think I'm not going to make it because I'm a black trans girl? It's annoying to you to watch me win?"

With her trademark glint in her eye, she shrugs and says: "Deal with it. That's how it's going to be." ■