I am not the person I was before coming here
BY MARK
When I was 15 I was a loser. I was a lazy bum and never even wanted to get out of bed or interact with others. I was a year behind in school and I didn’t even care. When I wasn’t being lazy, I was angry.
Once, I got in a fight with my older sister and got put on probation. After that happened, I continued to get in trouble with the law on a regular basis. Finally, after a few months of being in and out of court several times for different offenses, a judge ordered that I come to Salem.
At Salem I learned to take responsibility for my actions. I now get up by 7 every day and spend the day in school. I have caught up with my class at school and will probably graduate ahead of them. I am in the process of applying to colleges for next fall.
I am not the person I was before coming here. No longer do I avoid relationships. Now I want to interact with people around me, and I value the people in my life.
Thanks to Salem I know I have a future in front of me. Salem has given me a chance to change the wrong behaviors in my life, and the environment to develop the skills I need for a successful future.
I know that for the rest of my life I will value the time I spent at Salem.
