Finding Strength to Succeed
Submitted by Bethany, age 21, Berkeley, Missouri

The day before my senior year in high school, everything changed. That was the day I came home from work to discover that my dad had left my mom and me. My mom had come home from her job as a waitress to find that his clothes were gone and that he had left us a note. The note read ''That's the way it goes. Bye.''

At first, I felt okay with the situation. My dad and I had never really gotten along that well, and he had always been verbally abusive to my mom. So, not having him in the house was almost a blessing because I didn't have to hear him say mean and nasty things to or about my mom, whom I am really close with. However, we soon discovered that all of the bills were at least a month behind. My mom could only work three days a week because of a broken ankle she had suffered when I was younger that still puts her in a lot of pain. She really shouldn't even have been working that much. I had to change jobs so I could get more hours, but even then I wasn't making nearly enough money.

My whole senior year was spent crying and trying not to spend my money so I could help with bills. At first, my mom had a really hard time accepting help from me. She wouldn't tell me how far behind she was or that she even needed help at all. I was young and naive, and I didn't realize how much we were in debt. So, even though we couldn't afford it, I applied to and was accepted at the college of my dreams.

I left in the fall, but after two months of college I had to come home to help my mom with the bills. I remember so many times I would just burst into tears because it was so unfair. I was supposed to be at school having fun and getting my degree, but instead I was working a full-time job to help support my mom and myself. Instead of buying movie tickets to go out with my friends, I was working late to get extra money.

Shortly after I came back from college, my mom's van was repossessed because we were too far behind on payments. We were left with one car and still behind on our bills. To make matters worse, our landlord wanted to raise the rent on our house, even though he knew about our situation.

I finally realized that I couldn't let the bad things that had happened ruin my life. I had to prove to myself that I was strong enough to make something of my life. I had to know that even though it was difficult to change things, it was still possible. That was four years ago. Since then, I've purchased my own house where I now live with my mom. I work a full-time job as a supervisor at an office-supply store, and I also run my own business. I'm in a loving relationship with the man of my dreams who would never say the kind of things to me that I had to hear my dad say to my mom. There is not one thing I would change if given the chance. And I believe that in some strange way, I owe it all to the hard times I faced when my dad abandoned us. Even though the situation was something I would never want anyone to have to go through, it made me realize how strong I am and that no matter what, I deserve to be happy. Everyone deserves to be happy.

Taking Action to Change!
Submitted by Jesse, age 17, Saint Albans, West Virginia

Well, where to start…? I suppose my life started when I was born (duh). And not many years after that event, I found myself attending elementary school near my home in Charleston, WV. I had great grades—honor-roll student. And then came middle school.

In middle school, I found myself being picked on quite a lot. I didn't really have any friends and I was failing all my classes. This continued until the 9th grade when I moved to my mother's house. I failed 9th grade the first time. The second time through, I graduated, and then made my way to high school where I actually became one of the most popular people in the school.

Still, my grades were lacking, and I started breaking rules, staying out late, and stealing my mom's car. I figured it was okay because it's what all my friends just happened to be doing at the time.

The reason I moved to my mother's home in the first place was an abusive father—both physically and verbally. Late in my 10th grade year, my dad found out about my grades, and regained custody of me. My mom was drinking then and had no idea what I was doing or who I was spending time with.

When I went back with my dad, my stepmom gave me a book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. I put it on my shelf, and there it sat for a while. Finally, one day when I was REALLY bored, I picked it up and started reading. It seemed like there was so much to be done to change myself. So I took action to improve!

Within a few weeks, I noticed improvements in my life. It was hard work, but my girlfriend, friends, family, and teachers all noticed an improvement in motivation and mood. At this point it was too late to actually pass 10th grade, so I went to my counselor. That very day she recommended me to a program at the University of Charleston, where I could complete my high school diploma and get credit for college classes.

I went for an interview, nervous but motivated, remembering to think positive, thinking over and over about what I had read in the book and telling myself, "I can do this!" A few weeks later, I got a phone call from the director of the program, and she informed me that I HAD GOTTEN IN!!!

Since then, I've worked hard to turn my life around—to consciously practice the 7 Habits and try my best. And it's really paid off. Everything is still going well. I graduate next year, and I'm majoring in computer science. I never knew I could do so well, and I'm glad I took the time to read the book. It may very well have saved my life.

The Problem Prom: Thinking Win-Win
Submitted by Laney, age 16, Salt Lake City, Utah

For the past 15 to 20 years the tradition at our school has been to hold the junior prom at our state capitol building. This year was no different. I was junior class secretary and we had already scheduled the building, paid the deposit, and got everything in order. All the students were planning on having it there.

One day the principal came into our planning meeting and said he and the PTA were concerned that there was too much construction on the main highway that leads to the capitol building. Since they worried about the hazard of accidents, especially with new drivers who had just turned 16, they didn't want us to hold the prom at the capitol building.

Well, since we felt we represented the student body, and the PTA represented only the parents, our attitude was, "No, we are not having it anywhere but the capitol building. We are not!" During the first couple of meetings with the principal and the PTA, we were pretty upset and on the defensive. It wasn't until the third meeting that we said to each other, "We are not getting anywhere, Let's listen to what they have to say. Let's talk about this." Instead of just reacting and freaking out, we really listened. The parents said they wanted us to have fun, and that they knew how much this tradition meant to us, but they didn't want anyone to get hurt. The principal then explained that he was over a project where a student died from a rock-climbing accident on a school field trip. Not only was it a tragedy, but he also got a lot of flack for it, and the school got sued. He said that he didn't want to worry about anything like that happening ever again.

The students hated to agree with the parents and the school administration, but we realized that the construction on the highway really was a safety issue. We listened to the pros and cons, and tried to come up with a third alternative. We had heard of a high school that had their prom on a riverboat, and thought that might be a good alternative. But we soon realized that it would be too small for our class of 900 students. We checked into holding it at the county courthouse (it's very elegant), but with the fire codes, we couldn't do it there either. We were surprised when the PTA helped us out and came up with a really nice place that could hold a group our size. We had a lot more help from the PTA than we expected because we were willing to work with them. As it turned out, because the prom was at a hotel, we didn't have to do any of the cleanup, and at the end of the dance, we were out of there within half an hour.

When the prom was held at the state capitol, students could pay to go on horse-drawn carriage rides as part of their date. This added to the romance of the dance, and we didn't want to lose that. We checked around and were able to hire a carriage company for the evening, and the rides turned out to be cheaper! They took two or three couples at a time at only $5 rather than the $25 it cost per ride at the capitol building. It was a big success.