Student Profile: David A. Carter

"Going to college will set my foundation and open up a whole new world. And to set a stable ground for my daughter, I have to go further in life."

David, 17, says he changed elementary and middle schools each time his mother moved. After bouncing around in Indianapolis and other cities, he was “way behind” by the time he reached 6th grade.A teacher at one school arranged one-onone help for him in English and science, but it phased out before he felt he was ready.

“They wanted me to catch myself up at that point,” David recalls. “They said they just couldn’t spend that...