July 1, 2022

Celebrating Jatiana’s Beautiful Graduation

June is a month of celebrations and graduations for many families and so too at Covenant House New Jersey.  This month we have the opportunity to celebrate Jatiana, who graduated with her Associate’s Degree from Essex County College. On a beautiful June day, Jatiana and our Covenant House Staff celebrated together. It has not always been easy for her, but with a lot of hard work and perseverance she was able to complete her last semester and earn her Associate’s Degree.   

Jatiana and Staff at Graduation

Jatiana shared,“I’ve met people who aren’t even related to me, yet still they’ve treated me with the same kindness that a family should treat you with. They’ve made it easier for me to attend college without the fear of going back home to feeling unwanted. Because of this, I feel a lot more motivated to go on to a four year university after I get my associate’s degree. It has been a long and stressful ride and no matter how tired I get, I know that I’ll be supported by everyone at Covenant House. Now I say with confidence, I will push through any obstacle to get my associate’s degree in social sciences then eventually a bachelors in that area of study.”

Jatiana was also a recipient of the John Francis Mamone Scholarship which was established by John and Lynda Mamone in memory of their son, John Francis.  Their goal is to inspire the recipient to never give up and always look forward.

Audible Has Been a Great Partner of Ours

In addition to graduating, Jatiana just completed a two month training program at Audible Inc. Jatiana has been offered a position as a Customer Care Specialist. She begins her new job at Audible next week!  You can also hear from our Covenant House alum, Queen and her story at Audible. Learn about her wonderful journey that started five years ago from Covenant House to Audible by clicking here.

So thank you to all in the Covenant House community who are making a difference in the lives of youth like Jatiana and Queen and join us in celebrating their achievements.