Parents of SRA Graduate: “She’s carried a lot of the knowledge she gained at SRA about herself with her.”
“SRA was worlds above the other couple programs we had visited. They were so well organized, and I thought, just a very nurturing place for her to be.”
Karen and Tom Quigley knew they needed the right fit for their daughter, Elissa, so they looked far and wide.
“When we went there and looked at the place, we saw kids who were dressed nicely, they had good manners and looked healthy and well cared for. All the things we wanted for her,” said Tom, Elissa’s father.
That place was Spring Ridge Academy. The Quigleys quickly realized it stood out among the other academies they looked at as a home for Elissa.
“SRA was worlds above the other couple programs we had visited. They were so well organized, and I thought, just a very nurturing place for her to be,” said Karen.
After her time at SRA, her parents said Elissa came out a better, more well-rounded person.
“What I think she gained was a lot of tools in her life to be able to better cope with situations,” said her mother, Karen. “She was very overwhelmed very easily. She didn’t make eye contact with peers. Really low self-esteem. So, SRA was able to help her be able to carry her head up high, and look someone in the eye and shake their hand. And feel better about herself and her life and her direction,” she explained.
Her mom said several things stand out all these years later.
“She got constant exposure to learning more about how to have healthier boundaries. How to set limits. How to accept limits to other people. I think that was really important for her too,” her mother said.
These days, Elissa works as an EMT and has lived independently for the last year and a half. She makes her parents proud. They look to SRA as a driving force behind their successful daughter.
“I think she’s carried a lot of the knowledge she gained at SRA about herself with her, and has been able to continue to grow and expand on that over the years,” her mom said.