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Alumni Success Stories
Lex Vega
High School: West Roxbury High School, 2001
College: Worcester State College, 2006
Employer: Acosta Sales and Marketing
 I was born and raised in the city of Boston as the third child of five. Growing up I was surrounded by drugs and violence. At age 7, I became part of the DSS system and bounced around from home to home for the next 10 years. While I spent many years running in the wrong crowds in my junior year of high school I changed. I began going to school everyday, I spent less time in the streets and more time in the gym. Also at that time, my older sister who was only 25, was able to get legal custody of me and my younger brother and sister, and we all moved in together into a small apartment in Roxbury.
It was then when I attended a Bottom Line info session at the Roxbury Public Library. I got off to a fresh start in my senior year, with Bottom Line helping me out the whole year.
My senior year GPA was a 3.8. However combined with my first 3 years my GPA was a 1.7.!! With that record, no four-year college would accept me. My counselor went on to explain the possibility of attending a Community College to build up some college credits, then transferring. Initially, I objected. But eventually, I overcame my stubbornness. I began college in the fall at Mass Bay Community College with every intention of getting good grades and transferring out. That's exactly what I did.
I transferred to Worcester State College after 3 years and graduated with a degree in Communications in May 2006. Throughout my college years Bottom Line was there to help me. Offering assistance with financial aid, loans, scholarships, and always keeping me posted on job openings. They stayed in touch through e-mails, phone calls, care packages, and newsletters.
As the end of my college days neared, Bottom Line continued to help. They told me about a job opportunity at Acosta. They were hiring for a position in their Leadership Development Program. I decided to check it out to see what would happen. I was fortunate to be selected and have been learning a lot since June 2006.
I am now happy to serve on Bottom Line's Alumni Board. My hope is that I can help more students learn that if you are motivated to make it out of your situation and go to college, Bottom Line is a great place to get help.
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Jamall Griffin
High School: Framingham High School (METCO Program)
College: University of Massachusetts at Lowell, 2002
Employer Stop and Shop Supermarket Companies
 In June 2006 at the age of 26, Jamall Griffin became the youngest store manager in the entire Stop and Shop Supermarket chain. He also holds the distinction of being one of Bottom Line's original 25 students.
Jamall Griffin was born to a 17 year-old single mom and was raised in the Franklin Field Projects in Boston. He never really had much of a relationship with his biological father. Growing up at Franklin Field, he says he: "saw it all - drugs, gangs, and violence", but even so, as a kid he always believed that living there was the best place to grow up. His friends were always around and there was a basketball court right nearby.
Jamall wasn't a great student at during his high school years (he attended Framingham high school through the METCO program). The only thing that kept him on track to graduate was his desire to remain eligible to participate on the basketball, football and baseball teams. Jamall first met Bottom Line founder Dave Borgal after his mom responded to an invite for an information session at the Dudley Public Library. Because of his grades, Jamall's college options were somewhat limited with respect to college admissions, but Dave helped him apply to Cheyney University, a historically black school in Pennsylvania and he was accepted. By his own admission, he spent a lackluster semester there until he got his act together. He realized that if he wanted to transfer to another school, his grades would need to improve. The out-of-pocket expense of Cheyney was also making it important to find a different option. So, during the second semester, with Bottom Line's help, Jamall applied and was accepted to UMass Lowell and he transferred in time to begin his sophomore year.
It was also during the summer before his sophomore year that Bottom Line introduced Jamall to the Stop and Shop management internship program. Little did he know at the time, but that connection to his first summer job would lay the ground work for his next 10 years. Jamall excelled during his internship and he continued to work up to 25 hours per week, even while he was attending school full time.
At the age of 21, Jamall's path was met with an additional challenge, the birth of his first child. But, rather than run and hide, he made the hard decision to quit the UMass Lowell football team so he could work more hours and help support his family and new son (Jamall Jr.) He also lived at home during his senior year of college so he could help out.
When Jamall graduated from Umass Lowell in 2002 he was offered a position as Customer Service Manager with Stop and Shop. Over the next 3.5 years, he was promoted several times, and then in June 2006 he became the manager of the Holbrook, MA store. But Jamall's career has only just begun. He is focused on continuing his development and hopes that he will soon have the opportunity to take on the management of a larger store and eventually become a district manager and then take on a role in the corporate office.
Jamall credits his current success to a little bit of luck, but also to some of the personal connections he has made throughout the years, whether it was a coach, a supervisor or a corporate executive. At Bottom Line we credit his success to his dogged persistence and hard work. Now, he finds himself a husband, father and college graduate having survived very difficult circumstances to get where he is. One thing is clear; he stands as a role model for his son and other young men growing up in the city.
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College Success Stories
Yesenia De Los Santos
High School: East Boston High School, 2003
College: Bunker Hill Community College, 2006,
Umass Boston, Expected 2008
 I was born in the Dominican Republic and came to America when I was nine years old. For most of my family back in the DR, I am their hope. Because of this, it was always known that I would go to college. However, I had no idea how the process of applying to colleges worked and that's where Bottom Line came in. Beginning in my junior year at East Boston high school, they helped me with choosing colleges, applying to those schools, doing the FAFSA, SAT Prep, and everything else related to the admissions process.
My senior year in high school was a life changing roller coaster ride. A few months into the year, I received a full tuition scholarship to Hamilton College in upstate New York. This was the best thing to ever happen to me. My biggest obstacle in attending college was the money and now there was nothing holding me back. Being accepted made me feel like I was all set so I stopped going to Bottom Line because I no longer "needed" their services.
Later on that year, I found out that I was pregnant. That's when my life took a drastic turn. I was in denial for the first five months. I was naïve in thinking that things like this didn't happen to smart kids like myself. Once I finally embraced the idea that I was indeed going to be a mom, I had to make some tough choices. I decided to turn down my scholarship, as I felt that it was going to be too much pressure with everything that I was facing. Although I decided against going to Hamilton, I knew that I was still going to attend college, so I came back to Bottom Line. At Bottom Line, I found people that were there to help. I was glad that they were happy to see me and I was embraced with open arms. I feel like at this point is when my real work with Bottom Line began.
I met with my counselor and we sat down to look at other college options that were more plausible in my situation. We decided on Bunker Hill Community College and she helped me with the application process. My counselor also went the extrva mile and went with me to pick my classes and to ensure that my schedule allowed time for me to also be a mom. Once I began school, I was so overwhelmed and was faced with major time management issues. Again, my counselor stepped in and was able to help by connecting me to resources within my school. To this day, I come back to Bottom Line for help with FAFSA and any other problems I come across. In the spring of 2005 I am proud to say that I graduated from Bunker Hill Community College with an Associates degree in Foreign Languages!! Bottom Line helped me with my transfer applications, and I am on track to receive my Bachelor's degree from Umass Boston next year.
Bottom Line is one of the most open and welcoming places I have found. I find their dedication, motivation and willingness to help outstanding. I honestly don't know where I would be today if it were not for this program. Perhaps I would have opted for a dead end job instead of a college degree. Bottom Line's support and belief in me has made me believe in myself.
Bottom Line does indeed help their students get in, graduate, and go far. However, the impact that they have in our lives, our communities and society as a whole is immeasurable. In my case, they are not only helping me, they are helping my daughter and the rest of my family. For that I am thankful and I hope that Bottom Line is still around for my daughter to take advantage of as a member of the class of 2022.
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Rochelle Valdez
High School: John D. O'Bryant High School, 2005
College: Smith College, Expected 2009
 I was born in the United States, but was raised in the Dominican Republic. I did not return to the United States until I was 8 years old. Coming to the United States at that age was an adventure, I experienced lots of changes; including living my mother for the first time since I was in the Dominican Republic and she was always in the US, learning the language, but most of all, having a little brother. I was used to being around lots of family in the Dominican Republic, but that all changed when I came here. I was now in a family of three, growing up with a single mother of two, who had two jobs to support her family.
As I got older, I was forced to make decisions that not only affected me but affected my entire family. I was no longer just my mother's daughter -- I became her other half, her decision maker, and more than that, her friend. While my mother was at work, I took care of my little brother Nicholas. I came home right after school everyday to pick him up, cook for him, and help him with his homework.
In my household, school was not an option, it was a requirement. My mother told me that the one thing no one can take away from you is your education. So, frequently, as Nicholas and I sat down to do our homework together while my mother was at work, I quickly realized that my plan to go to college was not only my dream; it was also my family's dream.
The summer before my senior year in high school, I heard about the Bottom Line through one of my friends, she told me that Bottom Line would help you through the college application process. She was right. Bottom Line helped me select colleges, write my essays, send in applications, and navigate the hardest part of all, financial aid. Financial Aid was difficult for me because it touched a very difficult subject in my life, my father. I had to provide some information from my father to fill out the forms and that was information that I didn't have because he was not a part of my life. Bottom Line helped me by writing a letter to the schools letting them know that he was not involved. The most memorable day of the entire process was when I came home from Bottom Line with all of my completed college applications ready to be mailed and I sat with Nicholas to discuss my future as the first college student in our family. I find it so amazing how someone so young and so innocent was able to make me feel like anything was possible if I just followed my dreams.
I was accepted to several schools, but I decided to attend Smith College. After visiting Smith on a cold, snowy day, I decided that this was the place I where I wanted to be. I wanted to be in a small liberal arts environment where I could be challenged and I felt like Smith was a place that could provide this opportunity for me. Though I'd been hesitant about attending a women's college, I was blown away by the women I met. I thought, "If these are the things that Smith women do, then this is where I need to be."
My first year at Smith College was a great experience, but it did not come without a challenge. First of all, leaving my little brother was the hardest thing I have ever done. I felt like I needed to be at home helping him with the transition to middle school. Also, my mother was ill and she could have used my help. One afternoon I called my house to help Nicholas with his homework and we talked about why I went to college. After explaining my reasons for being at Smith, his response was amazing: "You should stay there so when you graduate, you can pay all of mami's bills so she doesn't have to work and you can both drive me to college."
Now that I am at Smith, I am sure that this is the place I need to be, I felt like I was prepared for the academic challenge and for the transition from high school to college. All along I had been thinking that I was being selfish by being so far from my family, but in reality, I am shaping my family for a better future. There is no better feeling than being in a place where you feel like you are making a difference and that is what the Smith community is providing for me.
I am thankful that I am part of Bottom Line which has done nothing but support me and encourage me to keep going. Bottom Line is a place that I know I can count on if I ever need anything. Whenever I have had financial problems and haven't been able to pay for my books, the Bottom Line has been there to help me. From advocating with the financial aid office, to sending me care packages, the Bottom Line has always been there to support me and my college dreams.
Finishing college is something that I want to do to become a successful in the field of government and international relations, but it's also something that I need to do to provide for my family and all the people that have been supporting me along the way.
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High School Success Stories
Haja Fofana
High School: The English High School, 2007
College: Smith College, Expected 2011
 I was born in a town called Kono in Sierra Leone. I was raised by my grandmother and grandfather because soon after I was born, my father moved to the United States to try to make a better life for his family. When I was only 6 years old my life changed forever, but I remember that day like it was yesterday. On that day, I heard gunshots ring out and I ran to my grandfather for protection. That morning some rebels took over Kono causing massive destruction of life and property. The only safe place was under my grandparents' bed. My grandfather gathered everyone in the house and told us to get ready to flee.
The next thing I knew, I was walking through the forest, watching tall, endless trees pass. The forest smelled of dead people, and rotten fruit. I saw the dead body of a man whose stomach was so swollen, it threatened to blow up at any moment. My grandfather covered my eyes. I asked my grandfather, "Where are we going?" and he said, "To the end of the forest, my child".
When I became tired my grandfather would carry me on his back. I remember thinking how strong he was. We walked for days only stopping if we found a place to spend the night. The only food available was fruit from the trees we passed, fruit that we had never seen or heard about. I drank any water, dirty or clean as long as it sustained my life.
Things got worse- I became sick with malaria, but there were no doctors or hospitals to cure my illness. When we finally reached a road, we took a bus to Freetown, I was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Eventually I did get better and we tried to build a life in Freetown. However, a couple of years after the war in Kono, another nightmare began. The rebels took over the city one morning. There was no way to escape this time because the rebels surrounded us; taking lives, destroying property, stealing money and mutilating bodies, cutting hands and legs and cutting babies out of their mother's wombs. Sleeping became a nightmare for me; flashbacks of the massive killing filled my mind.
As days passed, the tension increased. Flames from the burning houses rose in the air. I always thought that my house might be next. Just when we thought things were beyond hope, the Nigerian soldiers rescued my family and me.
After the war, my family went to Guinea. In 2003, my father's efforts to apply for Asylum for his family paid off and my grandmother, my cousins and I came to the United States to live. I was saddened by the thought of leaving some of my family members behind, including my grandfather, who died five months after my arrival in the U.S.
When I arrived in Boston, I began school at English High School. The transition to the United States was not easy. I immediately knew that education was important, because I saw how my father worked so hard for so little pay. I learned that to get ahead, I needed to go to college. I found that English High School was a place where lots of students didn't take their education seriously, but I was able to overcome the distractions and find my way.
I first met someone from Bottom Line during this past summer when I was enrolled in a pre-calculus program at Northeastern. I learned that they had counselors to help me through the process of figuring out which colleges I could attend and help me do the applications. Working with my counselor Caroline, we created a college list, filled out applications, applied for financial aid and some scholarships. I have applied to 13 colleges. My top choice is Smith College and fortunately I was accepted and that is where I will attend.
Experiencing war has made me strong. It has made me realize how lucky I was to escape. People died in front of my eyes, and children were massacred without the chance to live. I am now a mature intellectual individual, capable of overcoming any obstacles in my way. I am on my way to finish the journey, which I started in Sierra Leone.
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Jeanette Sanchez
High School: The English High School, 2007
College: Emerson College, Expected 2011
 I was born in Puerto Rico where I was the youngest of four sisters. My sisters were well behaved and shy; they sat with my mother at birthday parties and events. I was easier to spot; the little girl running around in the dirt and pulling her dress up was me. I was curious about everything and anything. My impulsive behavior made me oblivious to the threatening ways of life and one day it carried me to the hospital. It was late at night; my family was outside gossiping with neighbors and cooling off with the refreshing breeze of the island. I was playing with my dolls when I saw a cat across the street. I ran with hunger to grab it by its tail when all of a sudden my little body turned to see the lights that were coming towards me. I was hit by a car, but thankfully there was no major damage and unfortunately, no major change in my carefree attitude. My mother eventually got me a harness to wear, hoping to control my energy.
At the age of five, I moved to Boston, and although the language was different, my curiosity and excitement was the same. I couldn't sit still for long. My attention span was even shorter than my size. The letters from my elementary school teachers became my daily light reading on the way home. My mouth was a running steamboat at school and at home. I tried my best to be a quiet, "girlie" girl, but it just wasn't me. The elementary school teachers saw the leadership in me but preferred to see it without me raising hell in the classroom.
As I began middle school, I realized that becoming a young lady didn't mean I had to act like a plastic doll. It meant having respect for myself and others, and achieving goals in my life. Now as a high school senior I've become a young woman who has learned from her mistakes. The feisty and boisterous little girl I once was is not completely gone but has been tamed. I have been able to transform that crazed leadership into becoming the assistant director for my school play, and taking care of my siblings.
Recently, my second grade teacher, told of the turn around that I have accomplished by my mother, said "So our little leader finally has a future." I guess even the most rebellious of kids can overcome their past. I don't regret my childhood or my attitude. I know that if it wasn't for that little girl inside of me, I would never have become the strong, and independent, woman that I am today.
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Jeanette was one of the Top 5 students in the senior class at English High School from the class of 2007. She earned a 4.5 GPA, taking mostly honors and AP courses. She was also very active in the English High theatre program-she has acted in plays and even wrote and directed a modern version of the play Lysistrata.
Jeanette will be the first in her family to go to college, and she says there is a lot of pressure on her to go to a good school as people say "Jeanette is the smart one in the family; she has all the brains."
Jeanette has always wanted to be a writer. She fell in love with Emerson College and has known this school is the perfect fit since she first visited in the fall. She was accepted to Emerson, but her excitement turned to disappointment when she found out that she needed to come up with $12,000 to pay for school. She knew her mother couldn't afford to help her, and had plenty of other options from schools that gave her more financial aid, but she was determined to go to Emerson-her dream school. After being directed to scholarships offered by the Charles Hayden Foundation and the Stephan Phillips Scholarship, Jeanette was able make this dream a reality. She will attend Emerson in the fall and plans to major in Communications.
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