Everybody's from the neighborhood. That's what makes this place good. We feel more comfortable because we all know each other. Hernandez, a regular at the weekly meetings with Wellems, dropped out of Tilden High School two years ago because of gang conflicts. She said she'd rather have me alive than dead with a diploma.
Teachers do, too.
She was one credit short of the 20 she needed to graduate in June. You get to know everybody. Although she finds the coursework similar to that at Tilden, she believes the teachers are better. You start right now. Soft-spoken Zambrano responds with a smile.