Before coming to live at Mercy Home, Judah traveled over two hours to get to school. Constant motion was part of his life from the begining.
Born in New Orleans, LA, Judah moved nine times before his sophomore year of high school. His parents divorced when he was two, and he bounced around from his parents’ houses and different family members’ homes. Finally, during his freshman year of high school, he moved in back in with his mom.
Soon, the family ran into financial problems, and was forced to move into a single hotel room in Gurnee, Illinois, a town about 40 miles from his school in Chicago. The room had only two beds for six people.
Despite the lack of privacy or space to do homework, Judah showed an unwavering devotion to his education. He woke up at 4 a.m., traveled over two hours to get to school, and didn’t return home until after 10 p.m. But the long commute and lack of personal space at home was taking a toll. Even a bright and determined child like Judah could go only so far growing up in such an unstable situation.
The school soon learned of the Judah’s crowded home environment and long commutes to school. Shortly afterward, Judah came to live at Mercy Home for Boys & Girls. Since he was finally given solid ground to stand on at Mercy Home, Judah has excelled in school and life.
Judah graduated from high school with all passing grades. After graduation, he interned at Systems Development, Inc. (SDI), and earned extra money reparing the bicycles that our young men use.
Judah left Mercy Home to attend college, where he studies engineering.
