Success Stories
From Survival to Success:
Diana's Story
For Diana, life could very easily have turned out differently. At 15, she was living in a drug house and getting ready to make a living on the streets selling drugs. One day, Diana was awakened by the sounds of an argument, and by the time it was over, a young man was dead, brutally murdered by two of her housemates.
Diana's early life was anything but easy — violence, instability and uncertainty defined her world. But when she arrived at Boys Town, everything changed. With the support of a stable home and a caring community, she built the foundation she needed to thrive. She carried those lessons through college and into her career—where today, she’s a successful professional, a world traveler and a voice of inspiration for others.
My life before was just utter chaos. And, you know, being in a situation where I saw someone murdered in front of me, and being in situations where you're worried about the cops, or you're worried about people's drug use around you, or you're worried about, you know, where you're going to get your next meal. Those kinds of things were really dark and heavy in my past, and it's not a pleasant experience to really think about. I didn't feel like I was fully living. I was more surviving before I came to Boys Town. Boys Town helped me to be successful because it provided a foundation and a family unit that I wouldn't have had, had I not have been there. And it taught me a lot about how I can function when I have a stable environment.
And so I was able to take that with me to college, and be able to function there in a more stable environment. And then as I entered the career world, I was able to use a lot of the skills that I picked up at Boys Town in my current day-to-day job. But I feel like I've done a good job taking advantage of the opportunities that have been given to me. And it's hard to believe, just looking back at what my history was, and where I've come from, to see where I'm at now. I'm living in working at one of the largest law firms in the world, and making a difference in that way. And that's exciting. It's somewhere I never would have dreamed that I would be when I was younger.
So I recently had the opportunity to speak at a women's conference, and it was terrifying for me because the topic of my presentation was me, and my life story. And to tell my life story to strangers, I wanted to back out a million times before I gave the speech. And since giving it, I felt so much freer because my past is a part of me. It's not the part of me that I want to define but it definitely is a part of who I am. And if it gives inspiration, or motivation, or hope to other people, then I'm glad to share my story. I wouldn't want to relive a lot of the experiences in my life, but when I start to experience imposter syndrome, I have to remember how hard I fought, how many obstacles I've overcome, and really tell myself that there's a reason why I'm here. I fought to be in this room, and I'm going to take advantage of it, and make the best of it while I'm here.
I am very proud to be a graduate from Boys Town. Boys Town to me represents struggles that I overcame. It represents family to me. It represents friendship, and it represents love and support. It truly was a life-changing experience, and it set my life on a course that I could never have imagined possible.
