When Leslie Niedner got pregnant at age 16, she was determined not to let her child become a statistic.

After her daughter, Adrianna Duffy, was born, Leslie finished high school even though she was homeless her senior year. She got a degree in social work, then a master’s.

She gave Adrianna a cozy home and as many different experiences as she could afford: sports, art classes, trips to farms, and museums.

Adrianna, left, stood with her mother.