When the Yeckes triplets began attending Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, their teachers immediately noticed that they did not seem to care about school. Haley, Kassidy, and Sierra acted defensively around any kind of authority figure, and they quickly began failing their classes.

The three girls often did not show up to school, and when the did, they only talked to each other. Some schools would have turned their backs on the triplets, but not this one. Instead, their concerned teachers introduced them to the GEAR UP Program, which gave them the support they needed. The triplets felt comfortable around the program’s staffers, and their grades soon began to improve.

Finally, the girls opened up about their home life, and it was worse than anyone could have imagined.

The triplets revealed that their mother died when they were only 3 months-old, and their father was sent to prison when they were in sixth grade. As little girls, they had been sent to live with their grandmother, who did not believe in schooling. This meant that the triplets did not even start school until they are 8 years-old.

After getting out of prison, their father took the girls, but he would leave them alone for days at a time. They were finally removed from his home after the house was shot up and they were then sent back to live with their grandparents, who also neglected them. The triplets found themselves homeless at times, oftentimes not having food or clothing.

Thanks to the GEAR UP program, the triplets were able to rise above their circumstances and raise their GPAs to above a 3.0. Thanks to their perseverance, all three girls are now headed to college! Their story is inspiring others to never give up and never let anything hold you back from achieving things in life.