Mikayla’s journey from homelessness to hope began at age 13 when she moved in with her aunt after her parents could no longer care for her. The years that followed were marked by abuse and instability—until she found Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ) at age 18. Through CHNJ’s Human Trafficking Victim Services program, she received safe housing, behavioral health care, legal support, and a chance to heal.
Even while coping with trauma, Mikayla graduated from high school and immersed herself in wellness, education, and life skills programming at CHNJ’s Dove Learning Center. Her resilience—and the support of CHNJ—set her on a path to success.
With help from our team, Mikayla secured a grant to attend Bloomfield College at Montclair State University and pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. During her freshman year, CHNJ continued to walk with her—connecting her to the Education Opportunity Fund, providing tutoring, books, food, and more. Today, Mikayla is a thriving sophomore, empowered to care for others the way she was once cared for.
“Nursing is personal to me,” she says. “I know what it means to feel vulnerable… I want to be that steady hand, that voice of reassurance. The one who says: you matter, and there is a way forward.”
Mikayla is not only a student nurse—she’s a leader. Elected by her peers, she heads the Essex County Youth Action Board through the CEAS/CoC and advocates for young people facing homelessness. Through CHNJ’s parent organization, Covenant House International, she also contributed to groundbreaking youth homelessness research with UC Berkeley and spoke at the National Network for Youth Summit at Capitol Hill.
“They didn’t just support me—they saw me,” Mikayla writes. “They believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself.”
At CHNJ, we are proud to share Mikayla’s journey and stand with youth like her. Her story is proof of what’s possible when we combine safe shelter, education, emotional care, and advocacy. She’s on her way to becoming a nurse—and she’s already a beacon of hope. With support from CHNJ, one young woman among the 1,811 youth we served in FY24 who is healing, advocating, and thriving.
