Allanah Ever, Roosevelt

FACES Scholarship Winner 2024

College: Fresno State
Career goal: Teacher

About Allanah: As a child, Allanah Everk lived in a variety of foster homes and with relatives, at one point staying in a storage building that did not have hot water or beds. Life was often so chaotic she did not go to school. Because she moved around, she attended seven different elementary schools. As a result, she didn’t learn how to read until the third grade. Still, from an early age, Allanah was determined to learn—when she didn’t have a ride to school, she would walk. She learned how to take care of herself in elementary school and raised her younger brother. “I always had to worry about money and food, wondering how my brother and I would get our next meal or how my parents would pay the bills,” Allanah said. She is now living with her grandmother, but money is still tight. She works during the summer to help pay household expenses.

Allanah said various teachers kept her going through the years, so much so that she wants to be a teacher in Fresno Unified because she knows what a difference educators can make in a struggling student’s life. “I have accomplished so much because [teachers] encouraged me to take risks, had faith in my ability, and have gone above and beyond to support me,” Allanah said. She especially wants to help children who struggle with reading and math, just as she did. She was in the color guard at Roosevelt High School and played the violin in the symphonic and concert bands.

In Allanah’s words: “A few of my teachers had a significant influence on my upbringing and the direction I want to take my career. I wish I could express my gratitude to them and show them the person I have become. I have come a long way because of them, and I have performed far better than I could have if they hadn’t been in my life.”