Emely

At 11 years old, Emely lost her mother, Mery. In 2026, she walked across the graduation stage at FGCU as a first-generation college graduate with a cheering section from Valerie’s House behind her every step of the way.

Now, Emely is preparing to pursue her master’s degree in social work at Florida Gulf Coast University while stepping into a new role as a Program Coordinator at Valerie’s House, helping support grieving kids and families across Southwest Florida.

“My mom was always big on education,” Emely said. “She always told us to um, she didn’t want to see us work as hard as she did.”

Emely said her mother stopped going to school at a young age while living in Guatemala. Her father stopped after sixth grade. But her mom constantly pushed her children to pursue opportunities she never had herself.

“She said that she came to the United States for us to have a better life as well,” Emely said. “And she thought that education was one of the best ways for us to better ourselves in our lives.”

For years, Emely believed accounting was the safest path forward because it offered financial stability. But deep down, she knew it wasn’t where she belonged.

“I don’t see myself being happy doing this, but it’s good money,” she said.

That changed at Valerie’s House.

“I started pursuing social work thanks to Valerie’s house,” Emely said. “Now, like, working as a social worker, I’m like, this is something that I actually feel passionate about.”

Today, she serves as a Teen Ambassador and continues helping kids and teens who are walking through grief journeys similar to her own.

“I really want to make a difference in here,” Emely said. “I like really want to see other kids grow through their grief and realize that they’re not alone.”

As graduation approached, Emely said she kept thinking about her mom and the reality that she would not physically be there to watch her walk across the stage.

“I was really feeling, like, my mom not being here,” she said. “I had really been thinking about the fact that she was gonna see me and that she was gone forever.”

But when she arrived, she saw something else: support.

“When I saw everybody there… seeing their support and just seeing how much they’ve seen me grow, has been really special to me,” Emely said. “I felt the love, like, the whole night.”

She says the people at Valerie’s House became some of the biggest supporters in her life.

“When I think of friends, and when I think of people that have been supporting me throughout my whole life, it’s like the people here at Valerie’s house,” she said.

Now, as she prepares for graduate school and her future career in social work, Emely hopes other grieving kids and teens give themselves a chance to be supported too.

“I think just kind of coming at it with an open heart,” she said. “I know that I got a lot of being in group when I, like, actually shared that I was feeling the anger, that I was feeling that jealousy, and people understood where I was coming from.”

For Emely, Valerie’s House became more than a place to grieve. It became a place where she found purpose, support, and people who truly understood her.

“Just being open to try it out,” she said. “That’s really all I can say.”