Pace Center for Girls in Orange County empowers young women to succeed academically and personally

Pace Center for Girls in Orange County is where teenage girls learn, heal, and grow. The girls ages 11 to 17 are from Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties and face numerous challenges from education to poverty and homelessness.

Rosene Johnson is the executive director for Pace Center for Girls in Orange County.

"Those are the young ladies that we serve, some of our most vulnerable girls in this county but while they are the most vulnerable, they are also some of the most beautiful and admirable ladies you'll meet,” Johnson said.

The girls say Pace Center for Girls is a life changer.

"I would miss my bus on purpose just to stay home. I didn't feel safe there but in May, I'm going back and I'm going to be a whole different person and not worry about what anybody has to say about me, or what they want to do with me. I'm just there to graduate. I have a future,” Diaz-Casanova said.

Pace Center for Girls has been serving the tri-county area for 35 years. The girls have gone on to become successful entrepreneurs, teachers, lawyers and more.