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VIEWPOINT OF A TEXAS CHALLENGE ACADEMY CADET
My early childhood was what I would call the bad beginning. My parents were constantly in and out of jail. Most of my family was addicted to drugs, and my grandfather (who was my only father figure at the time) died of cancer. I experienced a lot of neglect and emotional trauma at the hands of my family, but everything changed when I moved to Texas to live with my aunt.
Once in Bandera, I lived with family members who were so addicted to drugs that they couldn’t remember to take me to school. After missing school for a week, the school scheduled a wellness check, and I was picked up by child protective services with my sisters. My sisters and I were placed into foster care for about two years before we were adopted by the Seastrunk family, with whom we have lived for the past seven years.
