AUDREY
ACE is beyond excited to congratulate Audrey Gypsi on graduating from Claremont Academy and being accepted to Assumption University!
Audrey was born in the Central African Republic (CAR). As a young child, civil war broke out in the country. Her father tragically passed away during the conflict when Audrey was just eight-years-old. With so much instability in the country, Audrey’s family fled CAR and moved to Cameroon. Audrey lived there until 2016 when she, her mother, and two sisters came to the United States through the Refugee Resettlement Program.
Audrey recalls that “life was not easy at all” when they first moved here as they were sharing an apartment with another family. The mornings were particularly difficult, with everyone having to share one bathroom to get ready. The family found their own place after about five months.
Audrey began school at the New Citizen’s Center (NCC), which specializes in supporting English-language learners. Audrey remembers how challenging those first few months of school were: “School wasn’t easy because it was a new language for me and pretty much everything was new. I did not speak any English when I came here in 2016. English class was so hard for me. The only things that weren’t difficult for me were math and biology, but I still needed to translate the assignments to do the work.”
Audrey began attending ACE’s After School and Saturday Programs in January of 2017, which helped her to learn English and find success in the classroom, particularly in the STEM disciplines.
“ACE really, really helped me,” says Audrey. “At first in school, I was always afraid to speak up even if I knew the answer because I was not confident in my English, but ACE gave me the opportunity to learn. I made friends who came from my country and spoke my languages. They could also speak English and soon I was able to have conversations with them in English. Soon, I wasn’t afraid to speak up in school anymore. The reason I am able to speak English right now is because of ACE.”
Audrey continued school at NCC for a year and a half before transferring to Claremont Academy for her junior year, where she thrived both in and out of the classroom. Audrey was a member of the National Honor Society and Community Service Club. She was also a member of the track and field team and co-captain of the soccer team. During her junior year, she won a scholarship to attend the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Leadership Conference. She was even hired to be a dance instructor at the ACE Saturday Program.
A defining moment in Audrey’s life was her journey to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA). Audrey thought she wanted to work in the medical field after college but wanted to gain some early experience to make sure it was the right field for her. So, when she received a scholarship from the American Red Cross to get her CNA certification, she was excited. However, she underestimated the difficulty of the course and had complications with travel. She ended up failing the program. Audrey recalls, “I thought it was going to be easy, but I failed. When I failed, it really hurt me, but it pushed me to work harder.”
Instead of giving up, Audrey earned a second scholarship to pursue the certification at The Fieldstone School. This time, motivated by her last experience, she worked harder than she ever had and passed. Audrey credits this experience for giving her the work ethic and determination she carries with her today.
Now, she is working full-time as a CNA at Lutheran Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center in Worcester until she starts college in the fall.
Audrey will be attending Assumption University this fall, where she received a scholarship that will pay for the entirety of her freshman year. She is majoring in biology with the plan to become either a nurse practitioner or OB/GYN. She is passionate about helping girls and women achieve better health outcomes.
Audrey is a bit nervous about starting college but also feels prepared as she took four college courses during high school. She hopes that her work ethic will be an inspiration to younger ACE students. “You don’t need to be the smartest person, you just need to work hard, never give up, and know what you want. You must know what you want first and then you can focus on the pursuit of your passion.”
We are so incredibly proud of this year’s ACE high school graduates. Please join us in celebrating all of Audrey’s accomplishments by leaving a comment below!
