My situation while growing up was challenging. I grew up in an immigrant household, faced poverty, and did what I could to ‘fit in’ with others. This resulted in me hanging out with the wrong crowd and finding myself in trouble. I felt cornered and stuck, but knew that I wanted to do well in life.
Since beginning the programs at CYJS, I am no longer involved with the wrong crowd. I am starting fresh as a university student, a public speaker for Gloves Not Guns (a youth boxing program that empowers young people to overcome life’s obstacles), and am helping others through speaking, consulting, and training. I was able to beat the cycle of poverty and pain, and am the first child in my family to attend post-secondary.
For a lot of my life, I felt like a bird in a cage. Because of different non-profit organizations, one of which being CYJS, I was able to find my wings again and fly, and now I am doing more than I ever thought I could.