Photo by Rodion Kutsaev on Unsplash
Macro photography of water and sunflower oil in different variations
I broke the cycle. I became the first member of my family to get my high school diploma. NO one in my family - mother, father, sister, brother, uncles, aunts, cousins or grandparents - ever earned their high school diploma. I did it, and now I’m heading to college.
I was an A student until I reached high school. At that time my mother stopped caring about my siblings and me and started using drugs. Without any support or encouragement, I struggled to stay in high school. When the principal told me I would stay back in 9th grade, mostly because I was skipping classes every day, I dropped out.
That terrible decision lead to many more. I followed in my mother’s footsteps and at 18 became an addict myself. I hit rock bottom when I delivered my first child while using and social services took him from me.
From there I got clean and started to make better decisions. Although I tried different GED classes before, it either wasn't the right time or something else tragic was happening to me. At the age of 32, I found RIRAL and enrolled in classes.
Although my past has shaped my life, I refused to let it define who I am and who I will become. With my high school diploma in hand, I am enrolled at CCRI and am on the way to fulfilling my dream of becoming a nurse practitioner by the year 2025. My children are proud of me and now understand the importance of staying in school.
I am grateful for the support I received at RIRAL. The teachers and staff have helped me achieve what I thought I couldn't. My life and the lives of my children have changed. The cycle has been broken!
-Sandra