Car Donation in Ohio

Though my life has balanced out now, it has not always been one that is comfortable.

I grew up in what many would call the ghetto. Not only were we poor, but we lived next door to the neighborhood drug house.

My name is Mario, I am 15-years-old, I’m currently a sophomore at Texans Can Academies and this is my story.

Having that house beside us, made a poor neighborhood, dangerous. I witnessed drive-by shootings, people being shot, drug overdoses and our house was robbed frequently.

As a kid, I could not even play outside because there were always guns. One time, I remember that during a police raid, they used a flash grenade and I was outside and it hurt my ears. My dad had to come get me and carry me inside. It was very painful.

Living next to a drug house gave me many opportunities to use drugs, but I had made the choice early on to never take anything. I had watched my brother go down that path and I saw how hard it made things for him. I knew that I wanted more for my life and that I could do better.

We eventually moved and I started high school at South Oak Cliff. I was doing well, but was struggling to pass the TSI test. My goal is to join the infantry directly after graduation and pursue a career in the military. I knew that I would need to pass the ASVAB for military entrance and if I was struggling to pass the TSI, the ASVAB would be even harder.

My sister, who also graduated from Texans Can, told me about the school and the focused help I would receive here. Now I am currently working hard to gain the knowledge needed to successfully pass the TSI so I can move forward. I am also working closely with my advisor and the career transition coordinator to get assistance with the ASVAB and will take it towards the end of my second year.

I came from the ghetto, but I will not remain in the ghetto.

Though my journey is just beginning I can already tell the difference in the students and staff at Texans Can. With the help from my teachers and others I will not only graduate, but I am set to graduate early.

I am excited for this and have big plans for myself, my life, and my service in the military. The support people give to Texans Can helps give hope and impacts the lives of kids just like me.

My name is Mario and I am set to be a Texan Can graduate in June 2019.

Let me start with where I come from: My name is Jorge Garcia. I was raised in a bad neighborhood on the Eastside of Austin. My parents worked, so I was never taught by them. I hung out on the streets all day. My parents never made it out of elementary school. I would be the first one to have a high school diploma but I wasn’t interested.

Back at my other school my behavior and lack of attendance was a big problem and I thought I would never graduate. I used to skip class all the time and chill with my friends. I always got into trouble doing stupid stuff. I knew one day it would catch up to me. 

I got into trouble in school one day and was arrested. During court, I saw my mom cry my dad also told me that my girl was crying. It felt really bad knowing that I was hurting them both. I knew I had to straighten up but where to start? I was stuck. I felt like giving up and I didn’t know what to do. I would have been locked up for 4 years but the judge gave me a 2nd chance, 9 months of probation, wanting me to keep going to school was the first step.  

It was hard trying to find a school that accepted me. The school board of education kicked me out of the A.I.S.D. district. I couldn’t enroll anywhere, until I found Austin Can! Academy. Other than the judge, this school gave me a 2nd chance. It was like everything I needed to graduate. It gave me hope, the teachers are fun and can teach real good. They always help you and give you special attention when you need it, and it really helped me. With the help of my family, my girl and especially Austin Can! I am now a high school graduate!! The first in my family.

I Love Austin CAN! Academy.

Her father was an aggressive alcoholic who beat his wife and children on a daily basis.

Her mother would try to escape and run away with the children in an effort to keep them safe, but Anna Marie’s father always found them.

When she was five-years-old, her father strangled her mother with a belt until she lost consciousness, and then he kicked her baby sister across the room.

Anna Marie saved them by calling 9-1-1 and her father was put in jail for a short period of time.

Once again, her family relocated with the hope of starting over without him. Unfortunately every time they tried to escape he would always find them.

So the drunken cycle continued, along with the assaults.

After coming home from middle school one day, she found her mother sobbing in the bathroom from yet another beating. Anna Marie called the police and this time her father was deported.

From then on, pain and anger was the only thing that veiled the hidden burden of her past.

“I was a bad kid when I was younger,” says Anna Marie. “I got in trouble, went to jail, and was ordered to go to behavior class.”

At 15, she became a mother and moved in with the baby’s father. However, he was not supportive of her continuing her education and was not responsible with the baby.

So Anna Marie dropped out of high school.

She then moved back in with her mother and siblings, but her mother gave her an ultimatum: go back to school or go to work.

It was a decision of a lifetime. Anna Marie had watched her brother give up his dream of going to college so he could help support the family, but she knew she wanted more for her life - so she enrolled at Dallas Can Academies.

Anna Marie has been at the Can Academies for two years now and is on track to graduate in 2018.

She says the flexibility of attending the school’s half-day sessions made it all possible.

She didn’t have to choose whether to support her family or get an education.

With guidance from her teachers and advisor, she continues to research colleges with nursing programs. Her goal is to care for elderly patients and to make a better life for her daughter and the rest of her family.

“I’m proud of myself for getting out of a bad situation,” says Anna Marie. “Without Dallas Can, I would not be in school. I would never have gone back.”

^{Student name has been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.}

My name is Dwayne and I've been attending Dallas Can! Academy for two years now currently enrolled as a sophomore. Education is very important to me. When I was kicked out of my home school, I didn't want to give up. I began researching other schools. While I was doing my research on what school I was going to attend, I looked on the website of Dallas Can! Academy and read some of the success stories that were presented by other students, I said to myself "I want to be part of that school". 

Dallas Can! appeared to have a strong support system that would help my educational needs. Education is important to me as well as many others, for many of us this is our first accomplishment when receiving our high school diploma. This is just one step to help us to become much closer to achieving our goals. 

My mother always told me that "a real man has standards". Most boys my age are on the streets doing stuff they not suppose to do, to me we all need to be in school so we wont end up like them and to make a name for ourselves. We shouldn't only go to school for a high school diploma and then give up. I think we should at least give college a chance, go in see what it is like. 

At home in my room, I have a list of goals hanging on the door and everyday I wake up and read it to see what steps I need to take to get closer to my goal. But first I need to graduate high school. I think it's important for all students to have a list of goals. It doesn't matter what goals you have, just don't stop chasing them. After you finish college make sure your goals are still in order for internships and various job interviews. 

Like George Washington Carver said "Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom". And with no education what doors can you open?

Like many students, Roxana had failed the English portion of the STAAR test.

She wasn’t sure how she would succeed, but she was sure her future beyond high school was on hold.

Facing taking the STAAR test again was discouraging, even more so when she could not find the support she needed at school.

“I had difficulties taking the English STAAR test in my old school not because I didn’t pay attention,” she says. Her teacher gave students books to improve their reading; she was simply not asked questions about them. No discussions about them followed.

She was, in other words, left to learn on her own.

“I want to graduate. I don’t want to spend my days like this,” she remembers.

When she found Texans Can Academies, the difference was clear. Her prayers were answered.

In addition to the reading and writing proficiency she was gaining through the interactive readings in every class, Roxana found engaging teachers who went the extra mile.

“They spent time actually working days that they could be resting at their houses, but no: they really care about you. They treat you with love and respect.”

Roxana is excited to meet her future beyond school, but she looks back on her time at Texans Can with gratitude, and she has a word for those like her who cannot see a way forward.

“I want to encourage you. Keep going. You only fail when you fail to try.”

Roxana graduated from Texans Can in 2019.