JJ used to be known for all the wrong reasons.
“People called me the Haitian girl with an attitude,” she said. “I argued back. I cursed out grown folks. I let everybody know I wasn’t the one to mess with.”
But that version of JJ is only one chapter in a story that’s still unfolding, and it’s heading somewhere powerful.
After years of instability, JJ walked across the graduation stage in May 2025 with something she never thought she’d earn: a high school diploma. What made this even more special for JJ, was the fact that she did it on her grandfather’s birthday. Her grandfather, the man who gave her unconditional love, went back to work just to support her and believed in her until his final breath. JJ calls it a sign that he’s still watching.
Thanks to a four-year scholarship from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, JJ is headed to Florida Gulf Coast University this fall to pursue a degree in Health Science. Her dream? To become a respiratory therapist so she can care for children who are struggling.
“I’m not just surviving anymore,” JJ said. “I’m building a life nobody thought I’d have.”
JJ’s journey hasn’t been easy. Growing up in Haiti and raised in part by her grandparents, she describes those early years with warmth and gratitude. But after returning to the U.S. as a near teenager, life became more turbulent. Following a series of school expulsions, suspensions and juvenile detention stays, JJ found herself bouncing between placements. She admits she used to push people away.
That began to change when she arrived at Crossroads. “The staff showed me they really cared,” she said. “That motivated me.”
Later, at Castle House, she faced tough moments but started to let her guard down. Now, at Magnolia House, JJ has her own room, and she’s made it match her vibe of being a goal-oriented, passionate young woman.
“I like to be comfortable and give off that soft, homey vibe. It feels great to have my own space and have no one touching my stuff,” she shared when explaining her room.
For JJ, home is not just a place. It’s a feeling of safety, trust and the freedom to grow. “I used to think I wouldn’t make it to 18,” she said. “But I had to fight the version of me people expected. I had to realize if I really wanted to get to where I want to be, I had to ignore the noise.”
Today, JJ is focused, driven, and ready to change lives, including her own. LSF’s Magnolia House was somewhere that JJ achieved a lot, but for her, it’s just one stop on the journey.
“To the people who think they know me based on my past,” she says, “don’t look at where I’ve been. Look at my progress. Look at where I’m going.”
