Student Story: Persevering Against Childhood Adversity
***Content Warning***
There is content in this article that may adversely affect some individuals. This article depicts instances of violence against a child and child abuse.
Since childhood, Suzanne has been on a journey that has had some ups and downs. In spite of the adversity she’s faced, she pushes on and grows stronger every day. She was kind enough to open up and share her story with us.
Being a teen mom, her mother gave her up to her dad when she was two weeks old. While her dad took her under his care, the care that she received from him was not the best. At a young age, Suzanne realized her dad was drunk —a lot.
Being a child shouldn’t hurt
It started with things like putting her hand on a hot stove. Once, he put hot sauce down her throat for getting into the fridge at night. The abuse got progressively worse over time. He would wake her up in the morning by shooting bbs at her. Sometimes the bullets would be metal and other times they would be plastic. He started spanking her so hard that she couldn’t walk.
The day that Suzanne realized her life was in danger was the day her dad put a knife to her neck. He was especially angry that day. He took her into his room, closed the door, and attempted to put the sharp knife up to her neck. Fortunately, the knife had a cover on it and that gave her an out. That was the day she became aware of how dangerous he really was.
The truth comes out
At one point, CPS received a report of her abuse and they came to their home to investigate. They spoke to her dad first. Afterwards, he came to her and demanded that she not tell them anything. Bravely, she went against her dad and told them everything. She had the marks to prove it all.
The next day, her dad dropped her off at school and she never saw him again. Child Protective Services came to Suzanne’s school and she was put into the foster care system. Eventually, she went to Washington to live with her father’s parents. However, after she experienced some bouts of hallucinations, they realized they couldn’t take care of her and they sent her back to live in Arizona.
From age ten to eleven years, Suzanne went back and forth between group homes and foster families where she suffered more abuse and was bullied. At eleven years old, she was adopted by a family with two girls. Things went well with the family. They enjoyed some good times and she had good memories of being with them —until she was fifteen years old.
An unexpected turn
After an incident with her adoptive mom involving law enforcement, she was put into a juvenile detention center. The experience wasn’t taken well and her adoptive mom gave her up. She was put back into the foster care system. She experienced more instability and more bullying.
“Through encouragement and support she has blossomed from a shy, and guarded student to an outgoing, caring, and responsible student that now has a large support group from GS... No matter what, Suzanne perseveres against all odds…”
The effects of her childhood abuse began to present themselves. She was deemed mentally unstable. She was in and out of mental hospitals for about two and a half years until she realized that there are others like her, who felt the same. In the foster care system, there are many young adults who have experienced intense abuse and need counseling and support, not necessarily hospitalization.
Finding a school that works
In 2021, Suzanne decided she wanted to get her G.E.D. That’s when she discovered Grad Solutions (GS) and decided to earn her high school diploma instead. Today, Suzanne is a twenty-one year old student at GS. Currently, she is making progress toward her diploma and is on the path to graduation. She has twelve classes to go and pushes on to finish.
Her GS Mentor, David Ulm, is one of her biggest supporters and encouragers. “Suzanne has been in and out of group homes, shelters, and hospitals due to health, yet she has always been able to reach out to me and keep me updated as well as get some schoolwork done each month,” he says, “Through encouragement and support she has blossomed from a shy, and guarded student to an outgoing, caring, and responsible student that now has a large support group from GS... No matter what, Suzanne perseveres against all odds…”
Overcoming homelessness
Due to her mental condition, Suzanne spent time in and out of foster care and SMI (seriously mentally ill) clinics. At one point, she ended up homeless. Through her support system at Grad Solutions, she learned about Community Bridges, a nonprofit organization that tends to the needs of the community while maintaining the dignity of human life. They provided her with a place to live for several months.
Reunification
Recently, Suzanne’s grandparents and extended family moved to Arizona. One of them reached out to her and she was able to reunite with them.
Now that her family is in Arizona, she looks forward to spending time with them and finding a job in the area. She’s focused on her goal of graduating high school with the support of her birth family and her GS family. We are rooting for you, Suzanne!
For more student stories like this, click here: iwantmydiploma.com/blog/category/Student+Stories
