Success Story

Tim Chambers

The Story of Tim Chambers

Rita Chambers sat in the parent section during White’s 2009 graduation ceremony with tears of pride flowing down her cheeks. Today, a dream was coming true; today, her son Tim was graduating from high school—the first in their family to do so. Tim’s father had no desire to be a part of his life, and abandoned the family soon after Tim was born. And while school went well for Tim through his first two years, his grades steadily declined from third grade on, and his attitude worsened, until Tim found himself standing before a judge. The judge sent him to White’s residential program where he would live and attend high school.

After reviewing Tim’s transcript, Principal Mike Keaffaber placed Tim in basic courses, hoping he could do well enough to obtain a certificate of completion one day. By the end of the first semester, his grades had improved to Bs and Cs. By second semester, his grades were As and Bs. In the spring of 2009, Tim passed the state’s graduation qualification exam, meaning he could graduate and live out his mother’s dream of being the first in his family to graduate from high school.

When asked how he had done so well, Tim replied, “I used to think I was smart, but no one cared about me at my former school, so I quit trying. Since I have been at White’s, my house parents and counselors have helped me build confidence, and my teachers have encouraged me to do my best. It wasn’t long before I started believing I was smart again.”

Back to June 2009. As Principal Keaffaber read the name of the next graduate, “Timothy Allen Chambers,” Tim walked to the stage. He received his diploma, and proudly turned to face the camera for his graduation photo. And it was done—Tim was the first in his family to graduate from high school. He caught his mother’s eye, gave her a wink. At that moment, two dreams had come true.

Through its on-campus, fully-accredited public high school, White’s makes dreams like Tim’s come true every year. If you are interested in creating the same sort of success for your clients, contact us today.