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Pressured, But Still Going !
When I started at YouthBuild St. Louis/Soulard, I thought it was a great opportunity. My father initially was the person who encouraged me to join YouthBuild. Later I had second thoughts, so I decided to take a Wait and See approach. The teachers helped me in all of the academic subjects in which I was lacking, thus preparing me for the GED exam and my future. For instance, I was having a problem in graphing and in just a short period of time, my teacher explained what I was doing wrong. Apparently I couldn't understand how to get from point A to point B, but I figured it out. The teachers always made me feel as if I could do anything to which I set my mind.
However, it wasn't always this easy for me. Initially, there were a lot of negative things and people with which I had to deal. Name calling and teasing played a big part in it. Some students were constantly bothering me, and others got on my nerves. It seemed as if some of the students were trying to get me to quit, but I wasn't about to give up. I decided to take a different approach. Knowing a black man or anyone of any race needs all the education he or she can get, I was disappointed to see how one person could want to see another person fail at something.
In time, however the very behavior that aggravated me became the downfall of those bothering me. They began to leave the program or were kicked out. Over time their attitude pointed them in another direction. I was relieved to know that negativity was punished, and effort was rewarded. I ask myself how would my life have turned out, if I had let them pressure me into fighting or perhaps something worst. I learned from this experience that I have more patience and tolerance than I thought. I believe that it took a strong man to put up with this conduct, and I came to realize that, if I put my mind to something, I could achieve it.
My advice to anyone interested in attending YouthBuild, you can do anything, you put your mind to. Sometimes you may need just a little support, but if you reach out to it YouthBuild will be that support for you.
This author, a twenty-year-old single father of one, is seeking a career in the police academy.
