Boys Town’s goal is to help at risk children reach their full potential by providing them families, support and education. Boys Town believes every child no matter their background is full of opportunity.

Junior Ti’jaih Davis, originally from Baltimore, came to Boys Town for a better education to challenge him as he went through high school.

“As a child, if you didn’t have support from your coaches, parents, or teachers, it was really hard to achieve your goals in such a bad environment. That’s what pushed me to come here, because even though I did have support from my parents and my coaches, there were still too many distractions around me to keep me focused,” Davis said.

Davis’ perseverance throughout his educational career at Boys Town gave way to the opportunity to dual enroll at MN.

“The biggest difference between MN and Boys Town is that at MN, you have the freedom to set guidelines for yourself. But at Boys Town, those instructions are set for you and you are expected to follow them,” Davis said.

MN offers higher level classes than Boys Town with a wide range of subjects. Currently, Davis takes both AP U.S. History and Physics. He has created a strong relationship with his AP U.S. History teacher David Diehl, someone he has grown to respect since the first day of school.

“The first time I met Ti’jaih, he came into my class, looked me straight in the eye, and introduced himself to me like an adult. I thought, ‘Man, I wish that our students had this level of maturity.’ And I really respect TJ because it’s gotta be tough to come to a school with over 3,000 students. He is a role model in our class, and I really enjoy having him,” Diehl said.

Along with forming a strong bond in class, Davis is inspired by Diehl’s teaching styles and encouraged to persevere through the hardships ahead.

“His teaching has helped me to better myself and prepared me to take on many different obstacles and challenges that I face later in life,” Davis said.

This partnership with MN has allowed him to access higher levels of education, along with being able to build relationships with people outside of Boys Town. Attending MN also gives him breaks from the strictness of Boys Town, making high school a place where he can be free.

“It’s good that I live in a strict environment because it helps me stay focused, prepare me for adult life, and not get into trouble. It’s also good that I get a little bit of freedom by coming to MN during the day and creating bonds with others who have completely different lives than me,” Davis said.