Serina feels isolated much of the time. During class breaks, she usually sits by herself on the floor or on a bench in the sun. She is the only African American student in her cohort of teacher candidates. Serina had a disrupted family background and has many “issues of the heart” with which to contend. Her absences are treated more harshly than those of her classmates. The typical faculty mantra has been this: There can be no exceptions. If we make exceptions for her, what will the other students say? We will be sacrificing the quality of the program. We have to prepare her for real life.