Success Stories
Sister to Sister ~ Timeica Bethel
The words “sisterly love” have a special meaning to Timeica Bethel. Growing up with two younger sisters, she understands the bonds, the arguments, and above all, the unconditional love sisters share. But it wasn’t until Timeica was 12, when she joined Hull House’s Sister to Sister program, held at LeClaire-Hearst Community Center that she began to fully recognize and appreciate these relationships.
“One of the most important things they did was help me open up,” Timeica says. “I was a really quiet kid, but after going to these meetings and talking to the girls, I was able to communicate and talk to my sisters better.”
As a senior at Francis Parker School, Timeica, now 18, still utilizes those communication skills she learned at Sister to Sister. She is the senior class president, heads Students United, a group dedicated to exposing students to different cultures, and is an active member of her church and school gospel choir. She’s also been accepted to prestigious colleges across the nation, the likes of Duke, Yale, Harvard, Pomona, and DePauw. Yale University finally won Timeica over, and she starts classes there this Fall.
Timeica speaks passionately about the impact Hull House’s Sister to Sister has had on her life. “I’ve met a lot of people through this program. It gives me encouragement, knowing there are people close to you who can help you,” she says.
The Hull House program has given confidence to this current and future leader. “It’s so cool to get that kind of encouragement, to know there will be people backing me up regardless,” she says. “Hull House helped me form the type of bonds that you just can’t break.”
