Get Lashawn Jasper, 51, to tell you about her classes that she likes and she starts listing all of them: chemistry, algebra, world history, Spanish. LaShawn, who came to New Endeavors’ transitional housing program in the middle of the pandemic, is earning all As and Bs in these high school classes. With two semesters left, LaShawn is already thinking about future plans. “My first goal is to find a job that will help me get my own place.”
LaShawn’s life is truly a testament to strength and resilience. The youngest of seven, LaShawn was given up for adoption. Her mom gave up all her girls but kept her boys. LaShawn was 9 years old when she discovered she was adopted after a friend started teasing her. Years later she learned that her biological mother was an addict and HIV positive.
While attending DC’s McKinley Tech High School, LaShawn became pregnant. She thought about having an abortion but her adoptive mother convinced her to have the child and she gave birth to her son, Dax. A year later, LaShawn’s biological mother died, holding LaShawn’s hand.
In 2010, LaShawn lost her job and couldn’t find full-time work so for the next 10 years, she slept in shelters or on different friends’ and relatives’ couches. The year before she came to NEW, she was living with a partner who became abusive.
LaShawn is honest and transparent about her story and she recognizes that the challenges she faced in childhood still affect her today. But she believes in healing and that’s why she came to NEW. “You can’t put everything under the carpet and live a productive life,” she said. “A lot of folks don’t want to deal with the truth.” LaShawn is working with a therapist along with her NEW case manager, Mr. Lang who she said helps her focus on the positive things, her goals and moving forward. “He’s a cool dude,” she said.
After she earns her high school diploma, LaShawn intends to earn her undergraduate degree. She wants to help people. She likes the idea of doing community outreach, helping people with substance abuse problems or HIV testing and counseling. She also hopes to be able to get all her siblings together some point in the future, to try to be a family.
“People see the strongest part of me but everyday is a journey,” she said. “I’ve had some bumps and turns but after everything I went through, I came out of it and now I am working on me. I’m lonely but I’m ok.”
NEW provides LaShawn with the stability she needs to be able to deal with her issues, set goals for herself and move forward with her life.
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