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VIEWPOINT OF A TEXAS CHALLENGE ACADEMY CADET
I originally did not want to attend Texas ChalleNGe Academy, simply because I didn’t want to drop my life for some military school. But my mom thought it would help me better myself.
I lived in a small town and got caught up in some dumb teenage stuff. I was vaping, fighting, sneaking around, and lying. Things weren’t looking too good, so to make my mom happy and to try to improve my life, I agreed to come to TCA.
So now that you know a bit about how I came to be here, let me tell you that this place is nothing like I thought it would be. I thought I would hate it and would just want to go home. At first, I was really homesick, but then eventually I started to enjoy it. I just needed to get out of the negative head space I was in. I learned to listen to the cadre and to the teachers.
I am happy that I came here to TCA. I needed a place that could give me structure and discipline. I needed a place that I could learn. And here, TCA has provided all of that.
They have taught me how to cope with my feelings in a positive way rather than a negative way, i.e. fighting, arguing, or just storming off angrily. I had a bad vaping habit, but while at TCA, I don’t even think about it any longer. Another great habit that TCA has kind of forced me to have is reading. We have personal time in the afternoon, and we don’t have phones, so we read, and the TCA library is great. TCA has taught me so many great things. I am grateful that I have been blessed with this opportunity TCA has helped me to grow exponentially. I am beyond proud of myself, and my family is proud of me. I can’t wait to get to graduation and take what I have learned back home with me.
