“You took this kid, who was smart and hardworking but whose test scores placed in him the bottom 2%, who was ready to learn and eager to achieve, through speech impediments and mild dyslexia, and he grows and develops under the care of Breakthrough — he goes on to attend Gulliver, become a top broadcaster and News Director at the school, President of the Black Student Union, played basketball for Hall of Famer Ray Allen, served on the school’s ethics board for student peers, volunteers with Breakthrough, wins the Principal’s Award at graduation, and was selected as the commencement speaker for his senior class – that was transformation. It changed his trajectory.”
– Raquel Bankston, mother to Scholar alumnus,
Jordan Bankston, Freshman, Highpoint University
“this had a devastating blow to his self-confidence and his belief in himself.” Meanwhile, Jordan’s natural talents in basketball continued to evolve. “He started to feel that basketball was the only thing he was good at – I did everything I could, along with his teachers, to help him build his skills academically as well.”
It was at this time that Jordan was introduced to Breakthrough Miami, as he was tagging along on a Scholar interview with his cousin, also a student at Coral Reef Montessori. “When he found out about Breakthrough, he came home all excited — it seemed like a solid fit. They take the summer not just to reinforce skills but prepare for the year ahead. Knowing he was getting this educational foundation was so important to me. He was spending his summers productively, making friends, and building confidence.” Raquel recalls, “I never had to wake him up — he was up and ready, he looked forward to going.”
“He had gotten a bad mindset that he was only good at basketball,” Raquel reflects. “The moment he came to Breakthrough the Site Directors saw leadership potential off the court – they later encouraged him to run for Vice President for his class at Breakthrough – he began to see himself differently – he began to realize he was good at things other than basketball and to develop himself as a leader. When he finally scored a 4 on the FCAT – I cried, his teacher cried. It wasn’t about the grade, it was about showing him his dedication would pay off. At Breakthrough he learned time management, how to organize himself and how to study – how to become a better student.”
“Breakthrough helped Jordan to step out of his comfort zone to help him see himself differently – more than just an athlete – it began to open his mind to exploring what else he is good at.”
“You took this kid, whose test scores placed in him the bottom 2% , who battled speech impediments and mild dyslexia, and he grows and develops under the care of Breakthrough — he goes on to attend Gulliver, become top broadcaster and news director at the school, President of the Black Student Union, played for Hall of Fame Ray Allen’s basketball team, served on the school’s ethics board for student peers, volunteers with Breakthrough, wins the Principal’s Award at graduation, and was selected as the commencement speaker for his senior class — that was transformation. It changed his trajectory.”
Raquel concludes, “Breakthrough is not only transforming the individual but also they instill a sense to give back – give back as volunteer or Teaching Fellow and a leader in their schools – pull the next person up, go back to your communities with a new mindset that has been developed.” For Jordan, that meant pursuing a variety of opportunities and leadership experiences in and out of school. As President of the Black Student Union, Jordan was committed to not just serving as an officer, but in determining how to make an impact to make our community better. “That’s from Breakthrough.”
At Breakthrough Miami, we know education has the power to be a transformational gamechanger – for students, families and our community. You can make your 2023 End of Year Gift online here:
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