I was introduced to S.T.A.R.S. about five years ago when I was a student at O’Callahan Middle School. I admit my classroom behavior had been affecting my academic performance, and I was not given fair treatment to get back on track without some sort of disciplinary action taken against me. Because of this, I was introduced to Lekisha Hayes and Nicholas Crutcher, who are the co-founders of the S.T.A.R.S. CDC program. Ms. Hayes didn’t see me as a problem as other teachers did. She believed in me and believed that I could achieve real success if only given the chance to show my full potential.
I learned a lot from being involved with the S.T.A.R.S. program. S.T.A.R.S. has helped me by showing me different tools that I can use to manage things at the right time. For example, when it’s time to get serious, then that is the time to get serious. S.T.A.R.S. has changed me into a different person by teaching me about the real facts of what’s going on in the world and how to be better prepared for real-world situations and problems if they happen to me. My involvement in the S.T.A.R.S. program has helped me get to where I am today. My mom thought that I would turn out to be a juvenile delinquent who may or may not get himself into real trouble, but with the help of my parents and the S.T.A.R.S. program, I can now say that I am getting better grades than I’ve ever received and participating in community activities such as feeding the homeless and other community events. I was a good student before S.T.A.R.S., but now I am a great student who will continue to strive to achieve real success!