During her freshman year of high school, Brieana Higley-Anderson never entertained the idea of going to college because higher education was not seen as important. During this time, Brieana’s mom struggled with addiction issues and poverty. Life with her father and his step-family was not easy either. As a result, Brieana’s childhood was one of isolation and she turned to education and mentors for opportunities. With their support, she graduated as valedictorian from high school.

Today Brieana is a third-year child development major with minors in psychology and women’s and gender studies at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She works as a special-needs assistant for the city of San Luis Obispo and interns as a mentor with the Cal Poly Bakari Project, which focuses on helping youngsters in the justice system.

Continuing on this mentoring path, Brieana will apply to graduate schools in the fall of 2013 to earn a master’s degree in social work.