Graduate Larry Rodriguez Exchanges Failures for Kudos

MOTHER THANKS SEABORNE AND MENTOR

"Seaborne changed my son's way of thinking," says Sandra Salinas, mother of graduate Larry Rodriguez. "He now has a plan. Joining ChalleNGe was the best thing that could have happened to him. Because Larry was too young to take his GED while at ChalleNGe, he went back to high school and received his diploma. For the first time, he said that he enjoyed school and was determined to graduate.

"He attended school from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to make up lost credits. His teachers said he was a well behaved student. In fact, one teacher asked him to join a club where he would talk to peers about their problems and help them stay out of trouble.

"Larry developed so much self-esteem that he joined a cheerleading team, which competed in other cities nationwide. He has become a fine young adult, thanks to Seaborne and Larry's mentor."

"Despite his heavy load at school, he worked five days a week, 50 to 60 hours a week, at a movie theater. He became a crew leader after his first month of employment. His manager spoke highly of him and told me, 'Larry is going to be somebody. He works very hard.' Yet, despite the many hours at work and school, he still made time to usher at our church and spend time with his family.

MORE KUDOS

In addition to these accomplishments, Larry has been listed in the Who's Who Among American High School Students 2003, was granted membership in the National Society of High School Scholars for academic achievement, and has received other recognition.

In November 2003, Larry's art teacher entered three of Larry's photographs into a photography contest, Paseno Art in Austin. Larry had taken them as part of his class work. About 200 photographs from different schools were entered in the competition.

Larry won Best of Show, which included a $500 scholarship, and a second place award. State Senator Eliot Shapleigh presented the awards and took the Best of Show photograph to Austin to put on display. Sharing in this exciting experience was Larry's mother, bursting with pride and gratitude for her son's successes.

THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL

Like most ChalleNGe graduates, Larry's life before Seaborne had become a downward spiral, resulting in failure and constant worry for his mother. Things started going wrong for Larry in his freshman year. Recalls Larry, "I wouldn't listen to others. Nobody could tell me anything. I was so hardheaded. I would do what I wanted to do and nothing else. I didn't care that I was hurting the people I love. I was with the wrong people and into drugs, alcohol, fights, trouble with the law-just crazy."

By the middle of his sophomore year, Larry was about to get kicked out of school. His mother heard about ChalleNGe and Larry says, "I decided to enroll in Seaborne because I knew I was headed in the wrong direction and was scared. I wanted help!"

LIFE AT CHALLENGE

Larry admits, "ChalleNGe was tough, real tough. Sometimes I wanted to leave. I missed my family and the loss of freedom. The hardest time was on breaks. But I was tired of being in trouble all the time and I wanted to do the right thing.

"Life was so very different at ChalleNGe. I had to do my homework there. Discipline was strict and consistent, and there were consequences for bad behavior. It helped a lot to talk to people I was willing to listen to-like my drill sergeant, teachers, and team leader. They kept me on the ball. They helped me think about important questions. Like, 'Why would you want to get in trouble? Do you realize you are hurting everybody around you?'

"People at ChalleNGe would take time to really listen to me. And some of the staff were young and knew what we were going through and understood. That helped a lot.

"I would often talk privately with staff in the mornings and evenings, talk about anything I wanted to. These people were cool. They were encouraging and would push us. They'd say, 'Just a little bit more. You can do it!' My mentor, who had been my teacher, would also talk to me when I needed him.

"I changed physically as well as mentally. I started running and gained physical strength and endurance. Soon, I got used to the regimen and found that doing positive things over and over was causing me to develop good habits. If I only had done these positive things before ChalleNGe, I would not have gotten in trouble. They continued after I graduated."

LIFE AFTER CHALLENGE

"Life feels better now," Larry says. "The good habits formed at ChalleNGe are now part of my daily life. Sometimes I see my former friends. They're real big time losers. Still into that bad stuff. They ask me to join in. But at ChalleNGe, I got used to not doing the wrong things.

"After ChalleNGe, I enrolled at a different high school to get away from bad influences. I moved in with my aunt and uncle so I could attend school with my cousins and not hang with the old crowd. My six cousins and I want to do the right thing, and we have fun among ourselves.

Larry likes the idea of owning his own business someday and has been observing and learning how his uncle manages his business. This ambitious ChalleNGe graduate received his high school diploma on July 20, 2004-just seven months after he graduated from Seaborne.

His mother says of the emotional event, "I was wiping away tears of pride and gratitude as I saw my handsome son march down that aisle to get his diploma. I wanted to scream with joy, but didn't. I kept saying, 'Thank God.' I remembered that less than two years ago, I had no hope that my wayward boy would ever graduate. At the end of the ceremony, the school superintendent introduced himself and congratulated Larry. Larry was very nervous after the graduation and said, 'This is it, out into the real world.'"

In August of 2004, Larry plans to move to Las Vegas, NV where he will work and attend a community college. He believes that majoring in business will give him further business acumen so that someday he can own and operate his own business.

Larry advises, "I've found that if you don't stop doing the right thing, everything will be fine. You can get to where you want to be. It's hard to do the right thing, but it pays."