Compton

what an incredible day this was. we started day one of program at a continuation school in compton, and as the students are coming in, i'm greeting them and instantly i recognize one of the young women. i know that she's been in my program before, but i can't remember where. since this was our first day in compton schools, i couldn't figure out where i knew her from. so i get them settled and right before we begin program, she comes up to me and says, "kimmy, do you remember me?" i tell her, "absolutely, but i don't remember from which school." she tells me, "central juvenile hall". i screamed, "oh my gooood!" and my eyes got all misty and i grabbed her and we hugged for about a minute, just laughing.

it means soooo much to see one of the students "on the outs", as they say. i've done probably seven programs in juvenile hall schools, and it's a very different feeling than at a traditional school. we do a lot more goal setting, self reflection and personal relationship building. at the end of program, it feels like we accomplish a great deal together, but also very bittersweet because i don't know what will happen to them or what their future looks like. so to have developed relationships with them and hope for the best (some are facing 25+ years, beginning at 15 years old), it's wonderful to see a student who is coming out of that setback and moving in a positive direction.

then the lightning flashed, the thunder rumbled, rain poured and parking lot flooded. more rain. more program tomorrow.