Melanie was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She was removed from her mother’s care after a CPS investigation discovered ongoing drug use by her mother and evidence of neglect. As a teenager, Melanie began a relationship with a young man who was physically and verbally abusive towards her. Melanie escaped this relationship and went to live at SJRC when she found out she was pregnant. When she turned 18, and shortly after giving birth to her son, she entered extended foster care and was accepted into THRU Project’s Supervised Independent Living (SIL) program.

This move put Melanie’s life on the fast track to success! She enrolled in San Antonio College to study Criminal Justice and has been an honor student since the beginning. She is raising her son by herself and has been working on graduating from the San Antonio College Police Academy.

We are proud to announce that Melanie graduated from the San Antonio College Police Academy in February! At the end of March, she was officially hired by the Southwest Independent School District as a police officer!

Melanie’s ultimate dream is to be a member of the SWAT Team and to utilize her knowledge and skills to help women and children who are victims of domestic violence. Her ability to take her own traumatic experiences and turn them into a passion for helping vulnerable populations is genuinely admirable.

We are so lucky to celebrate these milestones with her. YOU played a role in Melanie’s journey to success! Stories of resilience, determination, and hope would not be possible without the support of donors like you!

“I’m so excited to wear the uniform and to be part of the elementary, middle, and high schools. It feels like I’m healing my inner child, and I can now be the role model I wanted to look up to when I was younger.”

-Melanie