Seventeen year old Crystal knew her life was heading in the wrong direction. After realizing the combination of hanging around the wrong crowd and surrounding herself with people who were really not supportive or encouraging friends, she knew it was time to make change. Today, Crystal is more confident about what the her future holds after putting in eighteen months of hard work and dedicated studying at Houston Can! Academy Main campus, she is proud to be the first person in her family to receive their high school diploma. Crystal is quick to credit the positive and supportive experience she’s had at Can! downtown Houston campus as part of the foundation for her success. “The counselors really help the students a lot which is why we are more successful,” says Crystal. She also credits being around “new” Houston Can! friends who share a common goal. “We’re all on the same level of wanting to succeed and not lowering our standards. We all want to get to the highest point in our life, adds Crystal.” While Crystal has decided on what college she plans to attend, she is leaning towards Texas A&M because of their strong military program. As the oldest of four siblings, Crystal is quick to recognize her responsibility to encourage, inspire and be a role model for her siblings so they can succeed in reaching there dreams. “My family is so excited that I am graduating. I want to teach my siblings to be better than me, stay on the right track and go for more in life instead of settling with what you have.”

From high school dropout to high school graduate, Ignacio is now on his way to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.

“Growing up I didn’t really have much. My mom is a single mother of two, I haven't seen my dad in 10 years, but she always tried her best to support us. She worked any and every job she could, like picking tomatoes until she was 7 months pregnant, then moving to a tractor position because her belly was too big to bend down. She has also held construction jobs in downtown Dallas.”

“I was usually home alone so I started to go to my friends for a sense of security that’s why I decided to join a gang. I just started following in my brothers footsteps. I started smoking a lot and doing reckless things.”

After struggling at his previous high school and lacking the sense of support that he craved from the administration, Ignacio decided to drop out. He worked at Dairy Queen for a year and even got offered a managerial position.

“Then one day I realized I didn’t want to disappoint my mom anymore. I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life.”

“My mom came to this country as an immigrant and I wanted to show her that all her effort wasn't for nothing. That’s why I get up every day and try to do my best.”

So he followed in his brother’s footsteps again, this time for all the right reasons. His brother graduated from Texans Can Academies and his family recommended he do the same if he really wanted to turn his life around.

“Texans Can was my second chance. A second opportunity that you can’t take for granted. Although some people think of this school as a school for all the mess ups, it’s not. The people here are helping us get somewhere, to be someone in life. I’m not afraid to say that I’m from Texans Can.”

“The teachers and advisors here do the most to make sure I’m making the right choices.”

“My advisor Mrs. Randle would text me if I was late to school and even ask if I needed a ride. She’s always there for me trying to get me to school. Especially when I had surgery a month ago and I would be late because I had to go to therapy. She would tell me to go to the PM shift if I couldn't make it that morning.”

“My teacher Mr. Vasquez, even calls me his son. Another advisor Mrs. Machuca offered me two jobs and took me on college visits.”

“They’ve made such a big difference in my life and are always looking out for you. They’re the reason I come to school every day.”

Ignacio has always had a keen sense of ambition. He always knew what he wanted. When he found out about the CNA program offered at the Can Academies, he was eager to get his life back on track, to finally make his mom proud.

“My whole life I’ve always been a little science nerd. It came so naturally to me.”

“When I enrolled here I was actually too late to get in the anatomy class. So I just started reading on my own, about body systems and how they function. It never ceases to amaze me how such an intricate system works together to make up who we are. I’ve always wanted to work in the medical field.”

Ignacio will take his CNA certification in the spring and will be a first-generation college.

“I want to use the CNA program as a step towards my future career, as a foundation to my future. I just really like caring for people. I always think of others before myself.”

“I’m not proud of who I was before, but it’s brought me where I am today. I honestly would’ve never graduated high school if it wasn’t for the Can Academies.”

“I was making good money at DQ or thought I was. It was enough to get me by. I just never had anyone guide me to get to higher places. I’ve always had goals, but never knew how to achieve them.”

“The people here actually help me, they actually care about my life and where I go afterwards. I’ve never had that before.”

Though my life has balanced out now, it has not always been one that is comfortable.

I grew up in what many would call the ghetto. Not only were we poor, but we lived next door to the neighborhood drug house.

My name is Mario, I am 15-years-old, I’m currently a sophomore at Texans Can Academies and this is my story.

Having that house beside us, made a poor neighborhood, dangerous. I witnessed drive-by shootings, people being shot, drug overdoses and our house was robbed frequently.

As a kid, I could not even play outside because there were always guns. One time, I remember that during a police raid, they used a flash grenade and I was outside and it hurt my ears. My dad had to come get me and carry me inside. It was very painful.

Living next to a drug house gave me many opportunities to use drugs, but I had made the choice early on to never take anything. I had watched my brother go down that path and I saw how hard it made things for him. I knew that I wanted more for my life and that I could do better.

We eventually moved and I started high school at South Oak Cliff. I was doing well, but was struggling to pass the TSI test. My goal is to join the infantry directly after graduation and pursue a career in the military. I knew that I would need to pass the ASVAB for military entrance and if I was struggling to pass the TSI, the ASVAB would be even harder.

My sister, who also graduated from Texans Can, told me about the school and the focused help I would receive here. Now I am currently working hard to gain the knowledge needed to successfully pass the TSI so I can move forward. I am also working closely with my advisor and the career transition coordinator to get assistance with the ASVAB and will take it towards the end of my second year.

I came from the ghetto, but I will not remain in the ghetto.

Though my journey is just beginning I can already tell the difference in the students and staff at Texans Can. With the help from my teachers and others I will not only graduate, but I am set to graduate early.

I am excited for this and have big plans for myself, my life, and my service in the military. The support people give to Texans Can helps give hope and impacts the lives of kids just like me.

My name is Mario and I am set to be a Texan Can graduate in June 2019.

My name is LaTasha Davis-Gomiller and I am a student at Austin Can! Academy. I am 20 years old and have a loving baby girl named Talaya and a wonderful husband, Milton. If it wasn''t for my husband being by my side and pushing me in the right direction, I wouldn''t be standing on that stage. I work full-time and am a full-time mom as well. I grew up in foster care, and it wasn''t easy. I made the best out of it and became a better person. I wasn''t always the easiest person to get along with, but with the right people and being a little scared straight, I got my life together and was given a blessing from God, my beautiful family. All my family helped me get to where I am today, I love them and thank them for everything that they have done for me.

I was trying and trying to find a school that would fit my work schedule and my budget. I couldn''t go back to public school because it was going to take me longer to get my diploma and get where I wanted to be in life. I tried an online school, but the cost got too much, so I dropped out. I was driving by Austin Can! one day and I saw their sign with a phone number, so I called and came in. I did what I had to do to get enrolled and start classes. I was a little scared because I didn''t know what to expect because I was due to have a baby soon, I wasn''t sure they would accept me. They did, and I give much love and thanks to Austin Can!.

What made me come back after having Talaya was the fact they had a home school for mothers that are trying to get their diploma until they can return to the campus. The teachers and advisors are so helpful and understanding of people''s situations and take their time to help any student in need, instead of turning their backs on them.

Austin Can! helped me to understand that I don''t have to be scared to ask for help, that''s what they are here for and I thank them for that. They helped me achieve one of my biggest goals in life and I am so proud to be where I am today. Thank you so much Austin Can! for everything that you have done for me.

For my future I want to go to college and become a social worker to help young children and teenagers that are in similar or different situations that I have experienced in my life. The simple point of having someone to be there and showing them that someone cares and they aren''t in this alone would be what I want to do with the rest of my life.  

I want to thank every teacher at Austin Can! for helping me to become a high school graduate!!!!

Amanda, 2003 Dallas Can! Academy graduate, realized after graduation that she’d learned more than she expected. Not only did she learn mathematical equations, English literature and scientific practices, she learned that determination was the key to overcoming obstacles. Amanda enrolled at Dallas Can! Not because she was having difficulty with her schoolwork, but because she liked the flexible schedule and accelerated classes. “I wanted to get on with my life and go to college so I could get the job I want instead of settling for minimum wage,” Amanda said. “I had heard good things about Dallas Can! And decided this was the school for me.” Amanda worked towards her graduation day. She enjoyed the staff and the facilities so much that she recommended the school to her boyfriend, Hector, who attended and graduated in 2002. “When I was sick, she , would call me up to find out what was wrong and how she could help,” Amanda said. “My other schools didn’t care enough to do that. They wouldn’t make time for me.” After graduating, she put her newly learned knowledge to use. She used classroom handouts from a job training skills class that she had kept to help guide her through the interviewing process. Those handouts helped her get her first post-graduation job as an officer with a security company. She worked at the security company during the summer while waiting for the beginning of the fall semester at Mountain View College. Amanda had earned a Rising Star scholarship that would pay for the first semester of school. However, a series of neighborhood incidents hampered her going to college right away. ‘There were some really nasty people in my neighborhood who were going around slashing tires and damaging cars,” she said. “All the tires on my car were slashed the day before I started school. When I explained that to the college, they told me that they couldn’t extend the scholarship. So I have to wait to go back to college.” But she hasn’t given up the dream of furthering her education. Amanda plans on returning to Mountain View College within the next year, paying for it herself, to complete the few credits she needs to transfer to Cedar Valley College. Once there she can finish her training and become a veterinary technician. In the meantime, Amanda was hired on at FOX-4 News as a full-time receptionist due to her determination and positive people skills. “The security company I worked for was a sub-contractor to FOX-4,” she said. “The office manager there liked me so much, he hired me to take over as the receptionist.” Ms. Scott said she will always remember Amanda. “She encouraged me to continue to do what I do by her kind words and how she always told me how much I meant to her and how I touched her life. She was never afraid to let people know how much they helped her and how much she appreciated that support,” said Ms. Scott. “Her kindness was much appreciated.” “When I went on my job interview, I kept reviewing the flyers that I had been given at school that told me what to do in an interview,” she said.