Success Stories
Finding Her Future:
McKenna's Story
Entering high school, McKenna felt lost and broken. She intentionally defied her family and continued to make bad decisions. Her issues grew beyond what her family could manage so they reached out to Boys Town for help. At Boys Town, McKenna learned the tools and the confidence she needed to turn her life around. She graduated from high school and will enter college with a full-ride scholarship. More importantly, her relationship with her family has never been stronger.
Watch McKenna's Story
Rich: McKenna can shoot for the stars and make it to wherever she wants to go.
McKenna: Before Boys Town, if I had to describe myself I'd probably be lost, broken, just drowning. I have a history of self-harming. And I use to have an eating disorder. I just started partying, drinking, smoking like it was anything to get a rise out of my mom, anything to break the rules to do what I wanted. Because my mom told me no, my instant response was, 'Well, forget that, I'm gonna do it anyways.' She was trying to protect me, but I didn't care. And I was like, 'anything to get away from you and I'm gone.' I was 15 years old when I got to Boys Town.
McKenna: My goal was to be in and out in six months." But it didn't work out that way, thankfully.
McKenna: Being at Boys Town, almost two years later, my whole life has changed. My whole life has changed. My family has become a really important part of my life. And I don't know what I would do without Boys Town because they helped me realize what I wanna do, where I wanna go, how I can be successful if I really just apply myself. And they built me up even when I was struggling in my worst points, they were there for me, and they pushed me to become a better athlete.
McKenna: Boys Town shaped me in a way that I didn't really think was possible. It's crazy to think that like, this is my life for the last two years. And I'm not quite ready to let it go yet. But I'm in a good place where I know I can succeed when I leave. This is my family, this is my home, this is my life. And it's kind of scary and bittersweet, I guess, to be leaving. But I know that because of the support systems I have here that I'm gonna do well when I leave.
Rich: I think McKenna's role on campus can't be underestimated. Her willingness and her influence on campus I think will be felt for a long, long time.
McKenna: I'm hoping to study pre-medicine. I wanna work with neonatal care with newborns. I'm excited for the future and I feel like I'm motivated to do something bigger.
