Meet a Breakthrough student on the path to college Read their story!

Yer Xiong, one of our 2018 Summer Session Program Interns, has written a poem about Breakthrough entitled “Breakthrough, my Dearest Friend.” We would like to share it with all of you! Yer is also a current high school student at Breakthrough and commented that “the best part of being involved with Breakthrough as a Program Intern was having a direct impact on students’ lives.” She also had the chance to co-teach a Choreography Dance elective this summer. In the future, Yer plans to pursue a college degree and keep in contact with all the friends she has made at Breakthrough. Check out her poem below!

 

Breakthrough, my Dearest Friend

The first time I heard of you, you carried everything that consisted of my dreams
Everyone who met you shouts and sings all the ways that you are great
You are praised by 12 year olds because of your excitement
You are remembered by 20 year olds because of your influence

I got to know you myself and they were right
You made me laugh and you made me cry
You made me dance and you made me sing
You introduced me to the world
2 amazing years

On his own he befriended me, Life is what he goes by
Life was the uninvited friend at the party
but is there anyways because he knows you
I apologize for letting him take me from you

After one year, I am here again,
I see that you’ve grown into something so different but still the same culture
You still put smiles on faces as if they are stickers
Your vibe still fills the room like a happy smoke

Seeing another view of you was a challenge
Realizing there was so much more to you than corny jokes and funky dance moves
I forget that you are just as me as I am just as you
You stumble sometimes and you hurt sometimes
You rage sometimes and you cry sometimes

As I got to see you struggle,
I became a great part of you
As I got to see you smile and grow,
I became a greater part of you

My heart is filled with gratitude for you
Your growth inspired me to rise and bloom
I am now a better me

Breakthrough Twin Cities

2051 Larpenteur Ave E, Saint Paul, MN 55109, USA