Car Donation in New Hampshire

Sean Fulayter’s story is both humbling and inspiring. Sean comes to us from Michigan after overcoming unbelievable obstacles. He was born in Flint, Michigan on July 21, 1993 and is 17 years-old. Sean’s parents split before he was born and he never knew his father. He lived with his mother and grandmother for most of his childhood. At the age of six, his mother got remarried to a man in the U.S. Navy who was both mentally and physically abusive to his family. Sean’s mother suffered from mental illness and after the birth of Sean’s second sibling she also began using hard drugs to escape the abuse. At the age of 11 Sean began taking care of both siblings. One was a newborn infant and the other a toddler. He cooked meals for them and made sure they had everything they needed. Because of this responsibility, Sean missed many days of school but somehow managed to keep very good grades.

Sean moved back and forth between his mother’s house and his grandmother’s house most of his childhood because of family problems. He says, “I never really had a home to call my own.” At the age of 13 Sean was kicked out of his mother’s house and lived on the streets for 30 days. He slept near generators behind a store to keep warm during the cold Michigan winter and got food wherever he could.

Cold, hungry and weak, Sean walked into the city library and ‘Googled’ his father, whom he had never met. He found the address and walked 14 miles with two bags of his belongings to his father’s home. He lived there for a few months before living with his father became unbearable.

Sean went back to his grandmother’s house. When he was 15 his uncle invited Sean to visit him in Austin, Texas. Coming from a family with generations of gang activity, Sean wanted to make a better life for himself and his siblings, whom he dearly loved. When he learned a friend was killed by a rival gang in Flint, Sean was advised by his friends to not come back to Michigan.

Sean then moved to San Antonio to live with another uncle. “My uncle took me in as his own son and he is the only father figure I’ve ever known. He taught me how to respect women, how to protect myself and how to talk to people. He taught me everything about life”, said Sean. Living with his Uncle Steven, Sean enrolled in a Southside San Antonio public high school as a freshman and started making bad grades, skipping school and even getting involved in fights.

After his freshman year he heard about San Antonio Can! High School from a friend. His Aunt brought him to the Can! for orientation and helped pave his future. Sean was 16 when he started at the Can! as a sophomore. Since enrolling Sean attends school full-time while working two jobs; one in landscaping and one at a restaurant. He even attended summer school to gain credits faster. Sean says, “The Can! has helped me more than anything. I can’t explain how much.”

He realized his dream to join the U.S. Army when he was sworn in September 24, 2010. Sean hopes to make a career in the Army as combat medic. Sean attends a church youth group meeting every Tuesday where he says “we pray for our families and pray for forgiveness.”

Despite enormous obstacles and unconscionable circumstances Sean will graduate from San Antonio Can! High School on January 21, 2011. He hopes to soon be able to adopt his siblings and do for them what his Uncle Steve did for him. Sean thanks his Uncle Steve and Aunt Sue Ann for treating him like a son and saving his life. 

“My uncle took me in as his own son and he is the only father figure I’ve ever known. He taught me how to respect women, how to protect myself and how to talk to people. He taught me everything about life”, said Sean. Living with his Uncle Steven, Sean enrolled in a Southside San Antonio public high school as a freshman and started making bad grades, skipping school and even getting involved in fights. After his freshman year he heard about San Antonio Can! High School from a friend. His Aunt brought him to the Can! for orientation and helped pave his future. Sean was 16 when he started at the Can! as a sophomore. Since enrolling Sean attends school full-time while working two jobs; one in landscaping and one at a restaurant. He even attended summer school to gain credits faster. Sean says, “The Can! has helped me more than anything. I can’t explain how much.” He realized his dream to join the U.S. Army when he was sworn in September 24, 2010. Sean hopes to make a career in the Army as combat medic. Sean attends a church youth group meeting every Tuesday where he says “we pray for our families and pray for forgiveness. Despite enormous obstacles and unconscionable circumstances Sean will graduate from San Antonio Can! High School on January 21, 2011. He hopes to soon be able to adopt his siblings and do for them what his Uncle Steve did for him. Sean thanks his Uncle Steve and Aunt Sue Ann for treating him like a son and saving his life.

“I was 12-years-old when I had a knife put to my throat because I didn’t want to do things my boyfriend wanted me to do.

For years I was mentally and physically abused by him, I thought this was okay, this is what a normal relationship is like. I thought it was a healthy relationship, but reality isn’t always as good as it looks.”

Unfortunately, Janae’s discrepancies on the definition of healthy relationships stemmed from the home she grew up in.

“We live in a 2 bedroom apartment. I share a room with my sister and my other sister shares a room with my mom. At my house it’s nothing, but negativity all the way around. My family, there’s no support there. It’s dead, it’s a desert every day. There is no ‘how was your day or what did you learn today. There’s nothing. It’s just earphones in. You mind your business, go to sleep, and close the door, that’s it. It’s not a real family.”

Longing for the love and support she never knew, she became lost and confused.

“I dropped out of school. I ran away, I did drugs, and began to steal. I did that for 3 years, until one day I realized I needed to grow up the right way, not like my family. I have worked 3 jobs before and dealt with school. So it’s hard for me to sit there and study while being around people who don’t want to do anything with their life. It’s like how do you focus or concentrate when you’re in that type of environment? Even with your parents, they don’t want to see you grow because you’re growing faster than they ever have. Growing up my mom would always leave us with my grandmother. She was never there for me. She would even fight my daddy for never being there when she was never there either.”

Finally, after Janae realized her family would never change, she decided to embark on a new journey. She wanted to make something of her life, but she couldn’t return to her old school because she had lost all her credits.

Texans Can Academies became her second chance at life.

“People would say it’s for bad people, they steal, and smoke weed, but I learned so fast how wrong they are. From the second I walked in here, my advisors always looked after me. You always have people that care about you and want to see you grow. I never had anything like it in my old school or at home. Not one counselor tried to talk to me at my old school. I actually didn’t know who she was. Here it’s so different. I have multiple people. It’s just ears all wanting to listen and are always eager to see you grow. That’s exactly what happened. My whole mindset has grown. My mom would always say no one wants someone as dumb as a door knob. It was because I’m a little slower at catching on to things, but I never let it stop me. I keep asking questions until I learn it. Learning actually became so much easier with Marquez Reading [an innovative curriculum created by Richard Marquez, Texans Can President / CEO]. It was like I didn’t really know how to read before this school. It helps me so much. Even when I’m nervous and scared I’ll mess up on a word, I know how to figure it out now. Also, here you don’t have kids laughing at you when you mess up, they try to help you, unlike a regular school. At Texans Can we never tear each other down, we’re always here to help.”

As Janae continued to progress and soar through Texans Can, Miss Michelli, the assistant principal, told her about the Certified Nursing Assistant Program offered at the school.

“I was so nervous I wouldn’t get accepted, but I knew this was for me. When they first pulled me out of class to tell me I cried, I couldn’t stop crying. It was the first time I felt like I did something right. Then, my mom finally started to see the change in me and how much happier I am, but she continues to bring up my past as I’m trying to grow. So one day, this lady from church took me into her family to give me another outlet, so I wouldn’t be stuck in a negative space. She asks how I’m doing and even offers to pick me up, so I can get out of there. But I know I’m doing right, whether she likes it or not. Now I believe this isn’t my stopping point, it’s only the beginning. I tell my friends who sound like they want to come here it’s a great school. Although it’s only four hours, you do a lot of work. It’s hard, but we can do it. The teachers never let you down. Believe me when I say, no one at Texans Can will ever let you down. Some kids have kids and that’s okay. The staff here keeps motivating you no matter the situation. I can promise you it’s nothing like any other school. Friends and sometimes even family can only take you so far. If it’s nothing but negativity after that, where are you going? You just have to be willing to try new things, meet new people, the right people that will help you get somewhere in life like everyone here at Texans Can.”

August 24, 2010 I moved to Houston with my family from Honduras when I was 8 years old. I have always worked hard in school and dreamed of going to college one day to obtain a degree in Business Management. I attended Cornelius Elementary School and Ortiz Middle School. After completing my 9th grade year at Chavez High School, I realized that in order for me to fulfill my dream, be a role model for my younger brother and cousins, and the first in my family to graduate from college, I needed to walk an extra mile. 

With that in mind, I decided to enroll in Houston Can! Academy Hobby campus. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Houston Can! Academy has many academic programs to help students such as my self be successful. They offer small settings, which is what I need to help me reach my goal of early graduation and fulfill my dream of going to college. I am so proud of Houston Can! Academy which is an excellent school for students with goals and I plan to graduate with commended performance. Respectfully, Jairo

“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.”

My home life was a wreck. I never knew a time in my childhood that I didn’t see my mother drinking or having different men at my home after my parents divorced.

I was so young that I felt that I may have been the cause of the split.

Later, I was thrown out of my mother’s house when I was in the 6th grade. I felt horrible about leaving my younger sister behind, but I was just a child myself and went to live with my dad.

My father had to drop out of college to support me.

Overtime, anger issues began to plague my life. I would become frustrated which often times led to getting in trouble both at school and in the community. I was a stubborn student and did not have a true sense of purpose.

After only a month of being a freshman, I dropped out of school for a year. Somehow I found San Antonio Can High School. Later I would come to realize it must have been my fate to land at San Antonio Can, especially being that I can’t remember how I heard about it in the first place.

My first days at San Antonio Can were filled with anger and resentment towards life itself. I did not understand why we did Marquez Reading or FIE let alone why school was so important.

On my 18th birthday my birthday present to myself was to leave high school for good. So I did.

I spent the next year at home, playing video games, smoking marijuana, and not being productive. I wasn’t going to school and I wasn’t working. However, that being said, something good did come from this bad if you will.

During this time I started to become self-aware. I started to realize that I was fighting a battle with my alter ego.

See, part of me didn’t care if I finished school and didn’t see the point in graduating. Yet another part of me wanted to BE someone, wanted to DO something with my life. I wanted to accomplish things and have purpose in life.

After about one year of this, I decided the only way I was going to get there was by finishing high school. That was going to be the first step in my journey to success and living a life with real value and true purpose.

This year, I returned to San Antonio Can with hope, but couldn’t get past my bad behavior. Until Mr. Tribett, the principal, and Ms. Franklin, my advisor gave me an intervention. I was able to not only hear their side, but also take it into full consideration. I was able to reflect on this and better understand my own position in life and where I wanted to go.

Mr. Tribett was the only person that believed I could change. I thank him for giving me that chance.

The next school day the renaissance began, this rebirth was enlightening. To this day I am forever grateful. It didn’t take too long before the staff and faculty of San Antonio Can High School started to witness the change in me.

Since my return I’ve experienced things I never would have imagined. For example attending the Broadway Musical Jersey Boys, participating in Learning from Leaders, Job Shadow San Antonio, and becoming actively engaged in student activities.

Along with all the support the school provides, such as eye glasses, immunizations, mental health services, and a great college readiness program at no-cost to me, I know I will be ready for what’s next. I’ll be able to walk through the doors that lead to the next set of challenges and accomplishments in my life through education.

After graduating from San Antonio Can High School I plan on obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and returning to Texas Can Academies to teach. I believe that the mission and vision of our CEO, Richard Marquez and Chief of Schools, Dr. James Ponce, can reach even more students across our great state, and I’m proud to be a part of this movement.