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Pictorial: Spring 2025 Getting Ahead Graduation

June 4, 2025 | By Emilie Jacques

Congratulations to all of the Getting Ahead graduates! We are so proud of everything you have accomplished in such a short time, and look forward to seeing all that you will achieve in your future story.

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us at graduation. Receiving an invitation means that you’re a key part of a participant’s support system, and for that, we are grateful.

Photos from the Spring 2025

Getting Ahead Graduation Ceremony

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Apply for Getting Ahead

If you know someone that may be interested in Copper Shores Bridges, we are always accepting Getting Ahead applications. Admissions interviews begin in August for Houghton, Baraga and Mass City. To learn more about Getting Ahead or to find the application, visit coppershores.org/getting-ahead.

"Tuesday nights became my favorite night of the week. These random people became my friends. They became my Tuesday night family."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"Our journeys don’t end here, we’ll take the knowledge we gained here and bring it to others and move forward."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"It pushed me outside of my comfort zone to do things I never thought I could."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"It forced me to face my challenges and gave me the tools I needed to achieve my goals."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"It was about becoming a better version of myself."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"It reminded me that no matter where I am in life, change is always possible."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"If you are thinking about changing your life, if you want to take steps to better yourself, take this class, it will change your life."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"We’ve built bonds here that will last a lifetime."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"This program made me realize that a path to a better future doesn’t just help me, it helps everyone around me."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"I feel motivated, inspired and ready to make a difference."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"This is just the beginning, we’ve built something that will continue to grow."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"When I came into this, I didn't have enough money to pay my car insurance. I was behind on rent and lived in constant fear when coming home that I would be told to pay up or move out. Then I came into the class, and found a lot of things that helped me."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"Poverty isn’t a personal failure, it’s a system we can work through. It’s a story we can work to change."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"We unlearned habits that were holding us back."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"It isn’t just about financial issues, it’s about transformation. We had support and acceptance to get through it together."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"For the first time in a long time when something went wrong, I wasn’t panicking. I knew I could take care of it."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"Things aren’t perfect, but I’m facing my challenges. We’re planting seeds that will go on for the rest of our lives."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"We’re not just surviving anymore, we’re learning how to build."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"This journey hasn’t been easy, but we showed up, did the work and we’re moving forward together."
Getting Ahead Graduate
"This isn’t the end, it’s a new beginning."
Getting Ahead Graduate
Emilie Jacques

Emilie Jacques

"I graduated from Michigan Tech with a B.S. in Psychology, a minor in Communication Studies, and a minor in Media Production. I love the outdoors and DnD." You can reach Emilie at communications@coppershores.org.