HCP: Justine Sullivan

Justine Sullivan (left) posing with her sister.

Gillian Corona, Reporter

Keeping up with her school, work, home life and volunteering, senior Justine Sullivan still finds time for her friends and family. While in Pre-Cal, AP Environmental Science, English IV, Spanish II, Government and Pals 2, Sullivan is also in NHS and started a club this year as well. She, along with sophomore Emma Keller, started a club called World Changers. They meet Monday mornings in Angie Moore’s room, A218, at 7:30 a.m. World Changer’s is like FCA, but just for girls who live or want to live by the motto “living loved.”

“We want to be able to teach girls that there is more than looks, popularity and grades,” Sullivan said. “If you really do believe that you are loved, your entire outlook on life changes, not just if you believe it, but if you live like it’s true.”

Sullivan has volunteered at her church in the special need ministry for three years now. Through a summer camp by the church, she met 19-year-old Stephanie Marks, who interned at the camp. Sullivan found out that she needed a place to stay so she asked her parents if Marks could stay with them.

“My parents agreed and now we share a room which is weird, kind of like we’re college roommates, but it’s fun,” Sullivan said.

One night, Marks brought her friend Leah Jones to Sullivan’s house because Jones was having health issues, and her home life isn’t good.

“She didn’t have another place to go and was just bouncing around from house to house so I asked my parents if she could stay,” Sullivan said. “We all thought it was going to be a for a couple of nights, but that has now turned into two months.”

Sullivan said that her parents have been talking about fostering or adopting.

“I think it’s really cool because it might not have really been in the way we thought it would work out, but we have opened our home to a lot of different people this past year,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan has been keeping a positive attitude through her hard times. She said she will not give up hope and will be patient.

“Not gonna lie, it’s been kind of hard ‘cause there has been some nights where we’re at the hospital with [Jones] or she’s passed out on the floor and we have to sit with her for a while, but we do have a very good and strong church community and I think that’s what’s getting us all through this,” Sullivan said. “I do think it will eventually get better and I’ve already seen improvement with [Jones] and she’s had a really big impact in my life.”

*Some names have been changed for privacy purposes.