Haleigh Adams-Salaberrios had to grow up quickly. Her parents divorced early in her life, forcing her mother to work full time to provide for Adams-Salaberrios and her younger sister. As a result, she found herself filling the role of primary caretaker for her younger sister, doing everything from cooking food to making sure they had clean clothes to wear to school. During this time Adams-Salaberrios coped with the post-traumatic stress of sexual assault. Rather than enjoy a leisurely childhood, Adams-Salaberrios faced some of the ugly realities of the world from a young age.
The incoming Wayne State College freshman hopes to obtain a master’s degree in Criminal Justice, ultimately becoming a criminal investigator. When recovering from her own trauma, Adams-Salaberrios realized the importance of catching perpetrators to minimize the harm they could do. She uses the trauma from her childhood experiences as fuel to motivate her in her studies and volunteer work.
Adams-Salaberrios is an accomplished student, earning a place on Kearney Catholic school’s honor roll for every year of her high school career and joining the National Honor Society. Her education has also encouraged volunteering in various capacities such as fundraising for the school through Kearney’s G.O.L.D. event and working as a frequent volunteer at local nursing homes and senior communities.
“Many people think that their parent’s place of work is just that, their parent’s place of work….to me it is our support system,” explains Adams-Salaberrios when speaking about her mother’s career at Premier Rental Purchase. Starting at Premier as a sales representative soon after her divorce, Adams-Salaberrios’s mother, Evita Gove, has worked up the ranks over the last eight years to become a store manager. “…being a part of an APRO family has also taught me how being an independent woman is possible….anything you put your mind to, you can make happen.”
Adams-Salaberrios is a member of the 2018 cohort receiving funding from the APRO Education Foundation’s Scholarship Fund. She is among a group of 47 students given over $110,000 worth from APRO and state rental dealer associations in Florida, Kansas, Missouri, and Tennessee. The APRO Education Foundation Scholarship Fund’s mission of helping futures leaders take ownership of their dreams is only possible thanks to the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your continued support, and we hope you will take a moment to support the next group of emerging leaders from our RTO-family by donating today.
