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Reaching Full Potential Saadia Abdi is an 18 year old daughter of six who has lived in low income housing all her life. Her parents are from Kenya and they came to this country with nothing

and providing the basic needs for their family has new come easily to them. Things like graduating high school or going to college that other children take for granted, seemed almost

impossible for Saadia and her siblings. Her family discovered Prospera Housing Community Services and things changed for the better. Saadia and her siblings began to attend the After School

Program held at Oak Manor Apartments, one of Prospera’s low income housing properties. Within a very short time, Saadia’s life turned around; her grades sky rocketed and she achieved Honor

Roll status. She then became more involved in the After School Program by volunteering as a tutor, and encouraged others in the program as well. She joined Oak Manor’s first Youth

Empowerment Leadership Group led by Prospera’s Services Manager, Christen Branch. People were beginning to see a change in her. In 2015, Saadia was awarded the first scholarship offered by

the City of San Antonio Martin Luther King Jr. Commission. Her essay was so impactful, that she received a scholarship in the amount of $2000. Now, Saadia is thriving as a full time student

at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, and prospecting to graduate this summer. Her grades are excellent and she’s highly active in the Journalism Club on campus. She intends on completing

her associate’s degree in order to more on to pursuing a degree in Communication Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Saadia Abdi is just one example of the children that are

reaching their full potential at Prospera Housing Community Services. Too often a child’s potential is measured by where they live and how much money their family earns. As a result, many

children living in low income households are never offered the opportunity to reach their full potential. What happens to those children whose futures are valued far less than others? Who do

they become? What communities do they build? In many cases, as adults they find themselves in a similar situation as their parents or guardians, struggling to meet their basic needs. And

the cycle begins again. Prospera Housing Community Services is committed to breaking the cycle through Youth Education and Development programs designed to help our youth reach their full

potential. Educational services such as After-School programming and Scholastic Tutoring provide school assistance beyond the classroom. Summer programs continue to challenge our youth with

projects and programs long after the final school bell, including Prospera’s 12th annual Youth Summer Camp. On-site Services Managers, like Christen Branch, facilitate a wide range of

programs, all aimed at building future leaders. When children realize their potential is greater than they ever thought it could be, something amazing happens, and they reach heights they

never thought they could reach. No child’s potential should be measured by where they live or how much their family earns.