A turning point in my life was when I stared in to the faces of three Samoans on February 18 2008. I was just a typical kid, who loved to snowboard and didn’t have a worry in the world. The reason that three Samoans were at my house was to transport me to a lock down facility called Cross Creek. My parents chose to send me there because they saw that the road I was heading down was not going to get me into a good place. Some things that I was getting into were drugs, fights, skipping school, and just being disrespectful. While I was at Cross Creek there were a couple of things that they really tried to teach me. One thing that they really focused on was how important my family is. I am really glad that they taught me that, because before I went to Cross Creek I wasn’t thankful for my family at all. But now that I have been away from them and could not see them or talk to them whenever I wanted it made me realize how much that I really love them. Another thing that Cross Creek taught me was that you can do anything that you want if you try. When I first got there I thought that there was no way that I could ever graduate from there. But I tried and stuck with it; it was really hard, I wanted to quit almost everyday. But I didn’t and I stuck with it and then before I knew it I was home. I’m also very thankful that they taught me that, because that is a very good quality to have. Another benefit I got out of going to Cross Creek was that I got a lot of school done there. When I was at home before I got sent away I did not do any High School. But when I was at Cross Creek I was able to get all of 9th grade done and most of 10th.
Since I’ve been back home I have been doing good for the most part. One thing that I try to keep in my head is how important my family is to me. Another thing that I use from Cross Creek is to stick with things and not give up. That is what is going to get me through High School, and I’m going to finish it.