Car for Kids in California

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.}

Joshua was born and raised in New Orleans. Shortly after his father died, Hurricane Katrina further devastated the family. Joshua fled from his housing project as the water rose, fearing the worst because he cannot swim. He sought refuge in his sister’s third-floor apartment; his mother went to the Superdome. As was the case with many, evacuation from New Orleans split his family. Joshua and two sisters landed in Austin and it was 4 months before he knew the whereabouts of his mother. For 5 months he lived at the Austin Convention Center. During this time, he attended two different high schools. The school bus did not pick up at the convention center and without transportation, it was difficult for him to attend school across town, so he was expelled from both schools for lack of attendance. The second expulsion came after he went back to New Orleans for Mardi Gras in New Orleans despite a principal’s warning not to miss any more classes. “I just wanted to see my family. After we were split up, it was the first chance to all be together,” explained Joshua. The school tried to refer him to a GED program. “I’d come too close to graduating to get a GED. I wanted my diploma,” Joshua insisted. Luckily Joshua spotted an Austin Can! Academy billboard. He decided to check out the school and started attending last April. “I feel comfortable here. I can focus on my education.” Josh attributes his success at the academy to the small class sizes and the support from teachers. “I feel inspired to learn. Teachers work with you and you get that extra attention that you do not get at a big high school,” he added. Life in Austin has improved for Joshua. He and his girlfriend share an apartment and they have a new son. Motivated by fatherhood, Joshua has high hopes for his future. He’ll be graduating in January and looks forward to enrolling in Austin Community College’s nursing program to become a registered nurse. “I always took care of my dad when he was sick. I like to help people,” he said. When asked about Joshua, principal Charles Long noted, “Joshua is what Austin Can! is all about. He’s a kid who has had to overcome many obstacles, and we helped him succeed. He is a great example for others.”

Amanda, 2003 Dallas Can! Academy graduate, realized after graduation that she’d learned more than she expected. Not only did she learn mathematical equations, English literature and scientific practices, she learned that determination was the key to overcoming obstacles. Amanda enrolled at Dallas Can! Not because she was having difficulty with her schoolwork, but because she liked the flexible schedule and accelerated classes. “I wanted to get on with my life and go to college so I could get the job I want instead of settling for minimum wage,” Amanda said. “I had heard good things about Dallas Can! And decided this was the school for me.” Amanda worked towards her graduation day. She enjoyed the staff and the facilities so much that she recommended the school to her boyfriend, Hector, who attended and graduated in 2002. “When I was sick, she , would call me up to find out what was wrong and how she could help,” Amanda said. “My other schools didn’t care enough to do that. They wouldn’t make time for me.” After graduating, she put her newly learned knowledge to use. She used classroom handouts from a job training skills class that she had kept to help guide her through the interviewing process. Those handouts helped her get her first post-graduation job as an officer with a security company. She worked at the security company during the summer while waiting for the beginning of the fall semester at Mountain View College. Amanda had earned a Rising Star scholarship that would pay for the first semester of school. However, a series of neighborhood incidents hampered her going to college right away. ‘There were some really nasty people in my neighborhood who were going around slashing tires and damaging cars,” she said. “All the tires on my car were slashed the day before I started school. When I explained that to the college, they told me that they couldn’t extend the scholarship. So I have to wait to go back to college.” But she hasn’t given up the dream of furthering her education. Amanda plans on returning to Mountain View College within the next year, paying for it herself, to complete the few credits she needs to transfer to Cedar Valley College. Once there she can finish her training and become a veterinary technician. In the meantime, Amanda was hired on at FOX-4 News as a full-time receptionist due to her determination and positive people skills. “The security company I worked for was a sub-contractor to FOX-4,” she said. “The office manager there liked me so much, he hired me to take over as the receptionist.” Ms. Scott said she will always remember Amanda. “She encouraged me to continue to do what I do by her kind words and how she always told me how much I meant to her and how I touched her life. She was never afraid to let people know how much they helped her and how much she appreciated that support,” said Ms. Scott. “Her kindness was much appreciated.” “When I went on my job interview, I kept reviewing the flyers that I had been given at school that told me what to do in an interview,” she said.

Paola grew up in a traditional home. Both of her parents supported her ambitions, and she was the perfect daughter - until she started to surround herself with the wrong crowd.

Paola began to rebel. Skipping school became the norm.

“I just didn’t care anymore. I stopped going to school; I basically dropped out,” Paola said. “I was so used to skipping class, I didn’t care who found out or what my family would think.”

Her mother was devastated when she found out Paola had been skipping school. She tried to convince Paola that education was the only way to have a prosperous future, but Paola refused to listen.

Everyday, Paola’s mom would shield her husband from reality. She knew he could not bear the truth about his daughter’s downfall.

“My dad never knew I was skipping school. It was only my mom. One day she couldn’t take it anymore. She finally told him.”

It was difficult to shatter her husband’s reality, but after realizing Paola was out of control, she finally built the courage to tell her husband the truth.

“She called my dad while he was working, and he had a heart attack. It hurt. It was the worst thing in my life. I hate that I had to learn the hard way, while my dad is the one who suffered.”

“That’s what changed me,” she said. “It took such a drastic event in order for me to change. I realized I went too far. I couldn’t let my family down anymore.”

“I couldn’t lose my dad,” she said.

“After that, I wanted to get my life straightened out. My mom didn’t want me to give up on school, but I couldn’t go back to my old school because I didn’t have enough credits,” Paola explained. “So I went to a private school, and it didn’t work out either. That’s when I heard about Texans Can.”

Paola could tell the school was very different than the others she’d tried.

“When I started going here, I realized how much discipline I needed,” she said. “The second I got here, I felt the love from the school. Every advisor and teacher have been nothing but helpful.”

“At a traditional high school they just give you a packet. At Texans Can it’s not like that. They’re interactive at every step. They never just sit in the back and act like they don’t care.”

“I always say if I knew about Texans Can since the beginning I would’ve started here my freshman year. This is a unique school, everything about it is special.”

Texans Can’s college-readiness program has even inspired her to pursue more than a high school diploma.

“I want to go to the army and be a nurse on base, so I can help people,” she said. “I’ve heard many people say Texans Can is for kids who don’t have anything to do. People talk down on the school, but it’s not like that at all.”

“This school is amazing. Iit changed my life. If I had not come here, I don’t know where I’d be. Probably still in the same hole, never able to get out,” she said. “Now I can make my family proud and prove to my dad I have changed for the better. I never want to hurt him again.”

Ashley Viera is a 21 year old student who is married with 4 children. Ashley just had her third child at the end of last school year. Despite the obstacles of being a mother and wife, Ashley has continued to come to school and is determined to finish. Currently Ashley is 8.5 credits away from graduation and will hopefully finish San Antonio Can! in June 2011. Ashley's Quote: "I like that my classes are shorter and I get out earlier so I can still have quality time with my 4 kids. That is why I came to San Antonio Can!"