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Lisa Ross from McKees Rocks is a mother of two TNA graduates. Having been deeply involved in the TNA community for years, she realized she was learning alongside her children the entire time. In 2015, Lisa didn’t have a degree, a driver’s license, or even a car. She had clear aspirations for her family but lacked direction on how to achieve them. Despite working full-time, she dedicated countless hours to TNA and remained actively engaged in the lives of her children and their school peers.

“At the time, I was part of a TNA parent committee where I would volunteer for different school activities and attend sporting events,” said Lisa. “The information from the programs was fueling me…I was learning with the students how to achieve my own goals.”

Since then, Lisa has obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education. She currently teaches at Propel Schools in Pittsburgh and works as an educator in TNA’s Summer Academy.

“While my kids have graduated, I still want to be a part of TNA’s continued blessings,” said Lisa. “The faculty and staff truly care. At the end of the day, they’re always discussing how they can make things better for the next day, the next week, the next year."

Having watched her own daughter grow and graduate from TNA (now a Robert Morris University student studying finance), Lisa was ecstatic when TNA opened its Middle School for Girls in fall 2023.

Lisa said that when one experiences TNA, it has a positive effect on the entire family. She said she was so excited when TNA opened its Middle School for Boys in 2017. “I watched the students grow into intelligent, artistic, athletic, capable, young men attending the colleges of their choice,” she said. “I cannot wait to see the young ladies graduate in six years.”