It might have taken a little while for De’Unique to settle in at Methodist Children’s Home (MCH), but now she is fully immersed in life at MCH and carries an internal drive to be better.
The University of Texas-University Charter School senior — who was crowned Homecoming queen this fall — plays volleyball, runs track, is captain of the cheer squad, and is active in Spiritual Life. Getting baptized during the summer filled her with pride, she said, as she tries to live more faithfully. Her favorite Scripture is Psalm 23.
“I like going outside and reading the Bible, or journaling,” she said. “I’m helping plan services in worship. We had an open mic and I got to sing.”
Ada Benns, her youth care counselor at the Ashcraft Home, said De’Unique is thriving at MCH.
“De’Unique is a beautiful, talented, athletic young lady,” Benns said. “I have watched her grow so much since she got here. She had a rough time adjusting to MCH at first, but I feel like when she saw that the staff around her really cared about her, she started changing for the better.”
Before coming to MCH with her younger sister Precious in January 2023, De’Unique was at another high school, where she admits focusing on schoolwork was not a priority.
“At my last school, I was skipping class and doing things that I wanted to do,” she said. “I had terrible anger. Oh, my goodness. Nobody could keep me in control. One little thing would snap me off.”
But at MCH, she learned to keep her emotions in check and discovered people who looked out for her.
“When I came to MCH, I started putting my mindset on my work to see how successful I wanted to be,” she said.
De’Unique is a strong-willed person, said Cortney Richardson, student events and volunteer supervisor, who also serves as coach of the cheer squad De’Unique has been a part of the last two years.
“De’Unique is wise and has a lot of perspective,” Richardson said. “She has been able to, over time, step back and see a bigger picture that includes other people’s perspectives and how things work outside of her. I think that brings her a lot of wisdom at her age in how she resolves conflict, how she leads a team, and how she encourages others.”
Another impressive aspect of De’Unique is her desire for improvement, Richardson said.
“De’Unique has this crazy drive to always be better,” she said. “Her jumps are incredible … and she wants them to be better. Her jumps are pristine. She has that same mindset in everything she does. Her motions are always on point.”
She also loves running track. De’Unique excels in the sprint races and relays, and added long jump to her resume.
“De’Unique is always trying to progress,” Richardson said. “Anything she is good at, she hones it and goes even further. With track, every year she gets faster. De’Unique is not stagnant. For a lot of people, when they are good at something — they’re good, and there is nothing wrong with that. But De’Unique constantly wants to become better and making those around her better.”
De’Unique is already looking beyond high school. After graduation she plans to attend McLennan Community College in Waco, earn a Certified Nursing Assistant certificate and then work toward becoming a registered nurse.
“My family grew up doing nursing, so that impressed on me to do nursing,” she said. “Nurses are always needed. I will keep pushing myself to do whatever and not give up.”
The staff has no doubts De’Unique will achieve any goal she sets her mind to accomplish.
“She is determined to become a woman who will make a difference in others’ lives,” Benns said. “De pushes herself to be better. It brings tears to my eyes watching how far she has come and the things she has overcome. I’m so proud of her and pray she continues to be the best version of herself.”
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