Stories
“I wake up every morning thinking about why I did so many bad things, but then I realize that I have another chance to correct my mistakes.”
– Juan from ARCC’s Truancy Reduction Program
Juan’s Story
Sixteen year old Juan grew up in gangs all his life in East San Jose and was proud of it. His father (now 82 years of age) was a gang member, five out of his 11 siblings had served time in prison, and he idolized “Scarface.” Juan was in 11th grade and was failing school, with only 20 credits completed. In January of this year, Juan was assigned to ARCC’s Truancy Reduction Services program counselor, through his school. For the first time in his life, Juan had a positive role model who was a Latino male, and who had a similar upbringing to Juan’s, but had “made it through.” Together, they have met once a week for the past three months. Juan’s respect for his counselor became apparent right away; he went from wearing oversized jeans and T-shirts to dressing casually when they met, Juan even arrived once in a shirt and tie as well. Since their meetings, Juan has not engaged in any fights, has stopped hanging around his gangster friends, and has been completing the requirements from his Probation Officer. From the encouragement of his ARCC counselor, Juan enrolled in independent study, so that other kids would not pick on him and get him upset. This was the best decision for Juan. In less than two months, Juan has completed 25 units. A teacher at his high school expressed, “Juan is a bright kid. If we could have gotten him help sooner, he would probably be in the top 10% of his class now—however, hope for this is not lost."
Jose’s Story
Jose Ramos is 16 years old and a participant in Alum Rock Counseling Center’s Smart Start program. The Smart Start Family Violence Prevention Program is an eight-week educational seminar for at-risk, low-income youth. The program serves minors who have been victims or perpetrators of family violence, providing them the skills necessary to break the cycle of violence through education. Topics include anger management, peer pressure, domestic violence and pregnancy prevention. Jose was referred to ARCC by San Jose Community School. A very charismatic and bright kid, Jose has lived a tough life for his young age and has been exposed to some very unfortunate circumstances. Jose successfully completed the Smart Start program; he now lives with his grandmother and is doing very well. He attends school at Willow Glen High and is currently on a football team through Gardner Mental Health.
“This young man has a bright outlook on life and dreams of becoming a successful businessman. With his charismatic nature and strong will, he encompasses all of the traits needed to become a successful citizen,” states Carmen Gil, Smart Start/Teen Talk Coordinator, Alum Rock Counseling Center.
If you want to share the story, give us a call at or send us an email info@alumrockcc.org