Who is Kewauna Lerma?

Kewauna Lerma is one of the students enrolled in Nelson's OneGoal program in Chicago. While in the program, Kewauna managed to complete her junior year of high school with an impressive 4.2 GPA, although she received dismal results on her ACT exam. Regardless, Kewauna ambitiously hoped to apply to highly selective colleges, like Duke. Tough argues that students like Kewauna are equipped with valuable skills, like optimism, that would only benefit her academic career if she would be accepted into such competitive schools.