When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned, But Ends up Better Than You Thought

Note: The name of the student has been changed to protect their identity. 

Carlie smiles as she shares her story. She is a Graduation Solutions alumni who now works as a Mentor several days a week. Her work is not always easy but her amazing energy, down to earth mentality, and gracious personality make her well suited for mentoring work. 

From witnessing her now, you wouldn’t guess it was a long journey to the place she is today. She started out in Ohio and ended up in Arizona. She has lasting memories of her experiences and scars that will most likely never go away. 

Carlie was born in Ohio. Her parents were young when they had her, so she lived with her grandmother most of her childhood. Things were good growing up, but in high school, she decided to move in with her parents. It was during that time she connected with people that would steer her away from school and family. She ended up dropping out of school. When her parents found out about it, they kicked her out and she became homeless. 

Left to figure out a housing situation on her own, Carlie became involved with a group of people that didn’t have the best of intentions for her. She was physically abused and groomed for trafficking. After a while, she had enough and decided to call the police and inform them of what was happening. 

A Life-saving Move

The police were able to take her to get some medical care. However, her feelings of relief were short-lived. Once she was at the hospital, she was “pink-slipped” and put into the Emergency Hospitalization Process. The Emergency Hospitalization Process is a way for healthcare staff to move a person who is mentally ill and in substantial risk of physical harm to self or others, to a safer environment where they can receive treatment. Against her will, Carlie was taken from the hospital and put into psychiatric treatment. 

She was released a few days later but the meds they gave her made her sleep more than half the day. She felt sluggish the rest of the time. She felt let down by the system. She had reached out for help and ended up in a hospital with her rights revoked. The collection of prescription medications she was given seemed like a band-aid to cover up her emotions and pain she might have felt. Her disappointment turned into discouragement. 

Starting Fresh in a New State

She stayed in touch with friends and when one of them sent her a plane ticket to Arizona, she decided to make the trip. It turns out, it was a one-way trip. In Arizona, she began the process of recovery. She began working with a therapist who helped her process what she had been through. He helped her break out of the protective walls she had put up in order to cope with her ordeal and gain tools to deal with lingering emotions in productive ways. She learned it is okay to have emotions. You shouldn’t ignore them. You can sit in them for a while and then let them go. 

Carlie went back to high school and graduated through the Grad Solutions program. She is now able to use the skills she acquired to help students. When a student is having a difficult time, she can be with them and listen. When needed, she can also share the tools she has learned to get a better handle on emotions.

The move to Arizona and enrollment at Grad Solutions was an unexpected fresh start. Her future plans include going back to school to study psychology. She has specific goals in mind to help people avoid the negative consequences of prescription medications. 

Skin as Armor

Carlie bears the scars of the past but now wears her skin as armor. Her tattoos help her remember that nothing can pierce her and the past doesn’t define her. She knows that life can sometimes be full of difficulties that are overwhelming, but having the right frame of mind can make all the difference.

If you or someone you know is being trafficked, please reach out to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also reach out to local police, dial the emergency number 911.

  
For more stories like this, see our Student Stories section.