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Noelia Bare
Northeast Regional Finalist
Growing up in a public housing complex, Noelia Bare was surrounded by drugs, alcohol and a high rate of teenage pregnancy. Her daily schedule involved numerous household chores, which she would often do at 4:30 a.m. in order to spend more time at what she calls her "second home," the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club in Massachusetts. At the Club, Noelia quickly learned the value of an education and the doors that would open if she applied herself.
Introduced to the Club as a scared and insecure young girl by her school guidance counselor, Noelia first joined the Torch Club, a leadership development program for youth ages 11-13. Within no time, she was elected president. Using her knowledge of Spanish, she helped immigrant Club members learn English and served as a mentor to younger girls. "All these girls wanted was someone to look up to, someone to spend time with, and someone to acknowledge their presence when some family members do not," she says.
A talented writer, Noelia started a Club newspaper that now reaches 2,000 people. Her writing skills also helped her win a grant to attend a private high school, where she excelled academically. Now an English major at Merrimack College in Andover, Mass., she hopes to become a teacher.
"My motivation is one of a kind because I did not want to succeed only for me, but for the many who did not believe they could succeed as well," she says. "If I had not gone to the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club when I did, I can only imagine what might have happened to me."
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