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SOPHIA'S STORY
I can honestly say that San Antonio Can was one of the most life changing times in my life.
Most students at Can are a little broken, lost, and alone. But we all realize that we slowly become a family.
Unlike other student stories, mine is pretty different. We all struggled in our previous schools. When you aren't engaged and when you feel left out, most will of course lose their drive. In school I just couldn't find my place.
At home my parents were on and off, my father was in and out, and my mother got lost in a hole of depression.
When my dad officially left, my sister chose to take his side in this ugly split and move with him. My mother lost herself, her job, and our home. She decided the best thing for her would be to go home, to Michigan, so she could be with her mother.
Trying to be the supportive daughter, I of course encouraged her to go. I knew that I personally had a place with my boyfriend and his family. I didn't want to return to Michigan. I had finally found a comfort zone here, with my boyfriend, who has and continues to support me through all of the hard times.
I told my mother if she wanted to take care of us she would need to begin to take care of herself again.
I started to lose my drive for education during my sophomore year. My grades definitely dropped, but I pushed through regardless of what was going on at home. I didn't want to draw any attention from my parents.
When my junior year started, my dad had moved out, my mother had lost her job and never left her room. I would leave for school in the morning, but I wouldn't stay longer than lunch time. I would barely make it to 3 classes every day, out of 7 classes that was pretty disappointing.
I tried to keep up with my other classes via email, but once Thanksgiving break approached a counselor informed me that I wouldn't receive my credits due to my lack of attendance. The first option that came to mind was to just give up. I was ready to just drop out. I was going to have to start junior year all over again. I didn't want to do that. I've never failed at anything in my life, and hearing that I was about to fail, it truly broke something inside of me. So I immediately started looking into what my alternative options were.
The counselor knew I wasn't going to school, and she didn't seem to believe that I would change my bad habit so she suggested online homeschooling.
It seemed easier to just push me out than have me start over there. I was sitting in the school library one morning and another student mentioned getting withdrawn from our current school, and transferring to a charter school.
She made it seem so easy, explaining that its half day and you can graduate faster even if you are currently behind. It was sounded perfect.
I didn't want to stay another minute at my school. That same day I had my mother come withdrawal me. As I was leaving the office the women made a snobby comment to me that went something like, “make sure to bring us your transcripts when you want to come back.” It was so discouraging that these women didn't believe I would succeed or that they thought I would regret my decision.
I truly believe that in that moment my fire sparked up again.
When I started at Can I quickly realized the speed in which you graduate is based on each individual student and their personal drive.
This school is extremely fast paced. Every single day there is equivalent to 3 days at your regular schools. It honestly comes down how to much you want to achieve your goals and how hard you are willing to work. The teachers at this school are truly the best teacher’s you’ll ever meet.
It was the middle of their second term and I caught up fast which was intriguing to them. My algebra teacher loved my ability to stand in front of the class and preach my method, or my solutions. I loved helping my classmates.
My English teacher became a women I could rely on and she encouraged my dreams. I loved the responsibility of helping with lesson plans and reading to my class. I loved that when I would explain or summarize the passages we just read, it made it easier for students to comprehend and even get interested.
In all honesty, the person who had made the greatest impact on my life, was my history teacher. He took a great interest in me when he saw my passion for education.
With his help, I received commended scores in all five of my Standardized State Tests. I spent half of my school day in his class, absorbing every ounce of knowledge possible. His class is where I learned what Can is all about.
We all come from different backgrounds, we all weren't successful in our previous schools, and we all needed this last chance to make it right.
Most students at Can are ready to overcome this last obstacle of childhood and graduate, especially because most of us are already dealing with adult like challenges.
If there was ever any doubt in your mind, I'm proud to say that this school has been the greatest blessing to us.
Yes, it is every student's individual choice to accept this kind of help. We all accept that we can't change our pasts and where we come from, but the teachers and staff are ALWAYS there.
They never give up on these kids. They believe in us, they fight for us, they encourage us and because of them, we all graduate wanting nothing more than to make them proud of the people we choose to become next.
In January, I graduated Salutatorian of my class. I remember the principal telling me that he had to do the math multiple times between the valedictorian and myself because we were so close.
Now I dream of becoming a teacher and helping students achieve their full potential. I hope to start at UTSA, next year and Graduate from UT with a masters in teaching and child development.
Everything I learned about the students and myself at Can, has only made my goals crystal clear.
There will always be children in need, of love and encouragement, and we all just need someone to believe in us.
Foster care student finds home at Austin Can!
KIM'S STORY
At the age of 12, Kim’s mother loaded the family car with a few belongings and her four children leaving McAllen, TX and a failed marriage to the past.
Though her mother held two jobs to make ends meet, the family squeezed into a one bedroom apartment in East Austin. “We didn’t have a bed. We had one pull-out couch, and I would rather have my brothers and my mom sleep on it than me. She worked so much,” Kim remarks.
“You wish you could do so much more to help the people you love, but I wasn’t old enough. I really wasn’t old enough – I was 14. I was still a kid, but I never really felt like a kid because I always had such a heavy weight to carry.” Kim’s love for her brothers can be compared to that of a mother’s love. Ray, a younger brother, was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of three. Ray’s treatments required the family to stay in the Ronald McDonald House for extended periods of time. Ray has since entered remission and undergone more treatment, but this hardship changed Kim’s personal understanding of her role in supporting the family and sparked her interest in pursuing the medical field.
Ultimately, the burden of caring for her brothers affected her attendance and led to her dismissal from her local high school. Austin Can Academy was not a part of the plan Kim set for herself. Principal Oakes remembers, “She had a hard time adjusting in the beginning. It was obvious she didn’t want to be here, but it only took that first day for her to realize that we were here to support her. After that day, it clicked. She was unstoppable.”
“Austin Can teachers taught you more than you needed to know. When I asked a questions they offered answers that lead me to more thoughtful questions. Austin Can makes you feel like family. You don’t feel, how do you say it in English? I want to say ‘No estorbes,’ like you’re not a bother. If I didn’t make it to school on time, I got text messages and phone calls. When your parents can’t be there to push you, the advisors are there to keep you on track. My mom didn’t talk to me about college – Austin Can did that.”
Graduation was so close Kim could feel it. She came rested and ready for her state exams, and then the worst happened – she didn’t finish her English exam within the five hour time limit. Six weeks later, the news that she failed her English STAAR exam hit her hard but she was positive. “Not passing the STAAR test wasn’t the same rejection I felt from other times in my life. I had support around me telling me that I needed to study a little harder. You can’t lose hope with that kind of support,” remarks Kim.
While continuing to study for her state exams, Kim completed her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training and certification at Austin Can. “The Certified Nursing Assistant program allowed me to start working above minimum wage. This certification isn’t the end all, it is the first step into the medical field. Now, I’m working on my Medical Aid Certificate. I’m making a decent amount, and I can continue my classes without having to pick up extra shifts. I’ve been helping the other CNA students get jobs – one of the girls has a house now. Nursing opens so many doors. I enjoy what I do. I want to make a difference in someone’s life.”
Kim has since graduated from Austin Can and continues the effort to surround herself with positive, driven and empowering people. “When you hang around with people who are not on an upward path, you’re not going to change. When you decide to make a change, you have to make the choice about who you spend your time with. Even if it is family or friends, if they don’t get it – you have to remove yourself.”
“The students – we don’t have a lot, we’re not lucky like others. The support people give to the school takes a weight off of our shoulders. It’s a chance for us to become something or somebody. There are people my age who have two jobs. When I tell people about my high school experience, they wish they would have known about Austin Can. The Can doesn’t let you walk out with your diploma, they’re going to help you create those first steps.”
“Honestly, I’ve never felt so stable and happy. Austin Can gave me a confidence to make it through the tough times. In times that I felt like giving up because of the obstacles in my life, Austin Can changed my way of thinking and acting in hard situations. You take what you’ve been through and you take what you’ve seen and you use that to make an impact. I may not be the one to break the chain, but I at least want to be the one to weaken it. I tell my brothers, they can do this – they can make it.”
Kim currently works as a CNA while continuing her coursework to be a Medical Aid. She plans to pursue a degree in nursing and work with children with chronic disease. “Where do I see myself in five years? It’s not so much where I see myself, with an RN degree you can do so much. How I want to feel in five years – I want to be happy. I want to love what I do and want to move forward in that. I just want to be happy really.”
TRINITY'S STORY
“If I never came to Texans Can, I would have been dead,” said Trinity, senior at Texans Can Academies. “The path I was on before I came here was… I know I wouldn’t have seen the age of 18.”
Trinity is from a single-mother home with seven brothers—all from different dads.
Life slowly began to wear her down with recurring familial issues and health problems. She soon realized she didn’t have enough credits to graduate.
The world became too much to handle, so she dropped out.
“Life was a pain for me. Society dragged me down, especially at my old school. All the he-said-she-said drama, and the school system there didn’t work for me,” said Trinity. “Teachers didn’t care; they just wanted you in and out. The way my mindset was back then, I couldn’t take all of the negativity at once.”
But despite all her distress, it didn’t take long for Trinity to decide that she needed to enroll back in school.
“My little brothers motivated me to keep going. I didn’t want them to think ‘oh, my sister didn’t graduate, so I don’t have to.’ I don't want them to follow in my footsteps. I needed to be better for them.”
“I’m the only girl—the oldest too—so I have to set a good example and be the first to go to college. I want to show them there is good in life. I learned that at Texans Can.”
Trinity noticed a huge difference in the school’s approach as soon as she started.
“Teachers at my old school had no faith in me. But at Texans Can Academy, they pushed me to do better not just in school, but in life,” she said. “Here it’s smaller; it’s different. There are shorter classes, and teachers actually sit with you and make sure you learn. It’s a good school where you can get the extra help you need. It’s where other schools fail.”
Life finally didn’t feel like a burden to her anymore. Trinity was learning to thrive.
“My advisor, Mr. Armendarez, basically became my second dad because he’s like a parent at school that I don’t even have at home,” Trinity said. “He’s made a big difference in my life. When I first got here I didn’t like it. There were uniforms, it was strict, and I didn’t appreciate authority—but Mr. A never gave up on me.”
Having an advisor while attending school has made a huge impact on Trinity.
“He [Mr. Armendarez] would say, ‘I believe you can do this. Forget what everyone else says. You can do anything as long as you set your mind to it.’ If it wasn’t for him I don’t know where I would be.”
“Having someone encourage me is something I never usually hear,” said Trinity. “It made me realize I could make it in life.”
When asked about referring Texans Can to other students who are struggling in school, Trinity did not hesitate.
“I definitely recommend Texans Can to anybody, especially if you want to graduate early and get your career started. They have colleges come here—before you even graduate they make you do FAFSA and apply for colleges.”
“Texans Can pushes you that extra step to make sure you have a plan after graduation versus in regular high school they say: ‘alright you graduated. Good luck. You’re on your own.’”
With graduation around the corner, Trinity is ready to embark on a new journey while making a difference.
“I want to major in social work, do criminal justice, then work in a detention center. I know I have a troubled past, so I want to help kids get through that too.”
“Texans Can was my only option after I dropped out,” she said. “It was the best decision I ever made.”
LaPhadra
Houston Can! is a lot different than her very large school in Tulsa. She has really liked the small classes and one-on-one relationships with the teachers and advisors. She is also glad to not be in a school where there were fights and arguments among the students. She said she never sees that at Houston Can!
She is the oldest sibling and has six sisters and one brother. One of her sisters is enrolled at Houston Can! as well. La’Phadra graduated in June and said it is a big help that the Can! helped her catch up so quickly with her class credits and graduate on time. She can help her mother with her brother and sisters.
La’Phadra wants to enroll at Houston Community College (HCC) and study to be a police officer but is also interested in forensic science. Her plan is to transfer to a four-year university after HCC. Her favorite class was world geography.
La’Phadra got engaged at prom to her boyfriend who is also a student at Houston Can! Her boyfriend is enlisting in the service so they will be apart for several weeks when he leaves this summer for basic training. They both think it is a good idea to wait and get married after his basic training because they have never been apart and think they should see how this separation goes for each of them.