I came to Boys Hope during my sophomore year at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. I come from a broken home. My father left when I was 2 and I never saw him again. My mother fell into depression and substance dependency. Because of the struggles she faced, I became an outlet for her frustrations. I was ridiculed, beaten and threatened regularly. This treatment from her, coupled with the absence of my father as well as being bullied in school set me on the path for an explosion. That explosion happened one night as I physically retaliated on my mother after years of abuse and her hitting me again. This was the last straw for me. I made it up in my mind that I would never live there again, I was willing to be homeless if that’s what my option was. Mr. Ravenna noticed I was withdrawn in school and knew it had something to do with my home life. When he heard about the things I was going through, he mentioned the Boys Hope to me. I never heard about this program until he mentioned it as a possibility to me. I thank God for that!
Like a lot of young black men, I was very angry and didn’t know what to do with that anger. Being in Boys Hope, I learned to live and interact with people I didn’t know, as well as learn structure which was lacking in my life.
I was able to graduate from St. Xavier High School, go on to college and graduate from The Ohio State University, and obtain an Electronic Marketing Certificate from Columbus State University with honors.
Nothing we go through is for ourselves. My story is not unique, but I am. To all those reading this, remember that your trials are meant to help someone else going through the same or worse.
There is better waiting for you. Thank you BHGH for helping me get to better! Don’t quit before you find your better.
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