After his mom died when he was 14 years old, Isaiah and his brother entered the care of their grandmother. Sadly, their grandmother died soon after, leading them to be placed in the foster care system.

After her death, Isaiah struggled with managing his anger and grief in a healthy way and ended up spending most of his teen years between foster homes and residential programs.

As he approached 18 years old, Isaiah did not feel very motivated in his academics and was not on track to graduate. Regardless, he still looked forward to the freedom adulthood would bring and was confident he could figure it out. Six months before his 18th birthday, Isaiah got connected to LifeSet, which offered extra support in his transition to independence.

His LifeSet specialist, Breanna, wasted no time helping Isaiah identify goals. She even helped him embrace the fun parts of high school, like helping prepare for prom, ensuring he had a tuxedo and Instagram-worthy photos. When he was tempted to quit the classes he was failing, Breanna pushed him to keep going and helped him put in the extra effort. He describes Breanna as a mother figure in that way, never giving up on him. Isaiah’s hard work paid off, and he graduated high school with a 3.0 GPA.

Living independently proved to be less glamorous than he envisioned, with phone bills and rent due every month. Breanna connected Isaiah to various career and education pathways and financial aid to make it possible. Now 19 years old, Isaiah is on a waitlist for an HVAC training program and is pursuing a certification in project management in the meantime. He also is prioritizing his mental health and learning healthy coping skills for his anger, an area in which he has shown tremendous growth.

“No matter what I need, no matter what the call is, [Breanna’s] always there for me,” Isaiah said. “LifeSet plays a big impact on the kid that comes from nothing.”

Isaiah dreams of breaking the cycle of poverty in his family, having a big family of his own and buying land outside of Nashville.

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