Class of 2022

I can succeed in life

Michael enjoyed his years in middle school but needed help at the charter high school he was attending in Pittsburgh. There also were problems at home—his mother was struggling with mental illness. She was in and out of hospitals, and he didn’t want to leave her alone.

Michael began missing class to look after his mom. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he did not do well with online learning and was dropped from the roster due to poor attendance. However, Michael was determined to earn his high school diploma, so a social worker recommended he look into Phase 4 Learning Center.

As soon as Michael arrived at Phase 4’s Baldwin site he began to thrive from the personal attention, completing his coursework and then an internship. “They were very supportive,” he said. “I could always talk with them about my problems.”

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, June 25, 2022, Michael received his diploma along with nearly 400 classmates—Phase 4’s largest-ever graduating class.

His plans for the future are in the works—the “fourth phase” of his development after academic, social and behavioral. Michael would like to get a college education and perhaps enroll in a police academy. Entering the U.S. armed forces is a long term goal.

Michael looks back on the first half of 2022 and the remarkable changes in his life, from being out of school to graduating and finding a home at Phase 4 Learning Center.



“I love coming here every day,” he says. “Phase 4 has made me feel important and valuable—that I can succeed in life.”