Stability isn’t something Haley Lefler is too familiar with.

As a child, she was passed around a lot, and consequently switched schools frequently.

“I did a lot of back and forth,” she said, adding that it put her behind in her classes.

When she had her son, Jaden, she got even further behind. She would keep him every other week, and his father would keep him on the opposite weeks.

When Lefler had Jaden, she would skip school because she didn’t have anyone to take care of him during the school day.

“I missed a lot of school,” she said. “At one point, I didn’t think I’d graduate.”

“I was originally supposed to graduate at West Rowan High School, but I dropped out,” she added.

Refusing to give up, however, Lefler returned to school – this time at Henderson Independent High School.

“I forced myself to come back and finish school,” she said.

“When I came here (Henderson), my grades improved a lot,” Lefler said. “The classes are smaller here. The teachers can work with you more. There’s no distractions. It’s easier to focus here.”

Having Jaden and going back to school have taught her to “never give up” and to “always keep pushing forward,” she said.

She’s also learned a lot about responsibility.

“I had a lot of growing up to do,” Lefler said.

Even though she was discouraged about graduating late, Lefler acknowledges that she made the right choice.

“Now I can have my diploma,” she said, adding that it will be easier to get a job and go to college.

“I want to go to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and do cosmetology,” she said.

“I like doing hair,” she said. “I’ve wanted to do it for a while.”

“If you’re going to go to school for something, you might as well go for something you like,” she added.