Arnold S., Robertson Memorial Home 2010

The road was tough but Arnold made it. Arnold was 14 and already had several run ins with the law. He was behind in school, thought that gang life was what he was born to live and believed the world had nothing good to offer him.

Shortly after arriving at Ettie Lee, with the support and understanding of the staff, Arnold began to see things in a new light. He enrolled in day and evening classes so that he could catch up on his credits during the regular school session. He continued his education in summer school, enrolling in both day and night classes again. Still behind on credits, he did not give up hope that he would graduate with all of his fellow students. During all of this he was also working on breaking his attachment to gangs and gang life.

He wanted to choose a better path and with the support of Ettie Lee staff, Arnold graduated high school and returned home with a new outlook on life. He recently informed us he is planning to continue his education.

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Sergio's Story

Sergio H., age 16, arrived at Ettie Lee's Robertson Memorial home in March ('10). On arrival, he seemed to have no intention of doing anything but gang bang for the rest of his life. Sergio was involved in several serious confrontations and altercations with other residents over their disrespect of his "hood."

Shortly after his second month at Ettie Lee, Sergio received his first Rock Star award for completing many credits at school. Sergio took great pride in his achievement and began to focus more on school and less on gang banging.

Sergio later told a staff member that he knows he can be whatever he wants to be, "but where I come from you have to have somebody to have your back because it's very dangerous in my neighborhood." Even with those obstacles, Sergio still decided to make a serious attempt to stop gang banging.

In June, Sergio found out that he was having a son. That seemed to have a major (positive) impact on him. He started to do extra chores to earn money to help buy a crib for his baby while continuing to excel in school.

A few days before Sergio went to court to be released from Ettie Lee, he tearfully told a staff member the story of his brother who was killed several months prior. It will be especially hard on Sergio now that he is back in his old neighborhood. "My brother was from the same gang as me and those people in my hood didn't do nothing about my brother's death - they didn't do anything to show that my brother died for the hood." Sergio says that he does not want to gang bang and he knows that if he continues to do well in school he can get out of that area.

Sergio has learned a different way of seeing things. In the beginning, gang banging was the only was he knew to survive. After realizing when he applied himself he could graduate from high school made a huge difference in his life. Sergio went home on September 8.

Sergio H., Robertson Memorial Home, 2010