| Alex's Success |
 When Alex arrived at Ozanam more than four years ago, he was an angry young boy with a crumbling family life. He had no contact with his father and a rocky relationship with his mother.
"Things were getting out of control at home," he said. "And I was getting out of control. I really needed some help. Now I can say that." But Alex wasn't always able to admit his weaknesses, especially when he first came to Ozanam. "I was putting up walls, and I couldn't control my anger," he explained. Yet Alex slowly began to adjust as he learned to deal with his problems. "I never thought I'd end up in a place like this when I was younger, but since I got here, I realized it wasn't so bad. I thought I'd just wait it out, that I didn't need help, but then it began to erupt like a volcano. And bringing it out helped me fix it." Alex said that the turning point in his treatment occurred when he joined the basketball team at Ozanam led by Coach Willie Hutson. "I really looked up to Coach," he said. "And the team helped me grow. You've got to be the best you can and stay out of trouble." Since graduating from Ozanam's fully-accredited high school last December, Alex has taken the lessons that he learned on the court and applied them to real-life situations as he continues to stay out of trouble. He has moved on to a transitional living program and is living on his own in an apartment. He now considers himself both a poet and a cook. However, sometimes he has a hard time keeping groceries in the apartment for which to make his meals, and he looks back on his days at Ozanam with nostalgia. "At Ozanam, I had three meals a day and a basketball court," he said. "We even got to take field trips. Now I can say that I miss all of that. It was safe there, and people took care of you. I met a lot of different personalities at Ozanam, and it helped me fix my own." Alex admitted that it is a little scary for him to be starting out on his own, but he also feels empowered. "I know it's up to me now," he said. He currently maintains a part-time job and is planning to take the placement test for a local college in the fall. I'll probably get a 2-year associate's degree, and then maybe a 4-year bachelor's degree in child development. I'm also interested in computer technology," he said. As he looks toward the future, Alex is able to look back on some of the lessons he learned during his time at Ozanam. "I know that you've got to be focused. You can't let others' problems get in your way. But you also can't run away from your own problems." As for Ozanam, he says, "There should be more of these campuses everywhere. The bottom line is that it keeps people like me at my age alive." |
Ozanam is part of Cornerstones of Care, a partnership of agencies providing therapeutic treatment services for children and families. Visit our Affiliations and Partners page to find out more.
