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Feature Stories
Joanna's Story
| "Thanks so much for believing in me and giving me a chance!" |
Every little girl is beautiful, every little girl except for Joanna. Joanna was born to a family that loved
her. She was treated like a princess. However, that Cinderella start changed when she began to
attend elementary school. Joanna was called ugly by students and adults at the school. She recalls
being passed over time and again for recognition or pictures. Her most vivid memory was when a
group picture was being taken and a teacher asked her to step out of the picture because she wasn't
pretty enough. That memory still haunts Joanna every time she looks into the mirror. People, mainly
white people, threw these words at Joanna. It was about 5th grade that Joanna remembers latching
onto a racist mentality. She would not ask the other students to stop or go to a teacher to let them
know what was said. She simply silenced them by picking out a flaw in the offender and harshly
making fun of it. Joanna quickly perfected the art of insulting and would sit back and laugh as the
bully became bullied. She didn't realize that she had become what she hated. By middle school she
began to take her bullying to new extremes and become more aggressive. She was more than
willing to pick a fight with anyone. She was fighting hard against something. It was during this period
that things went from bad to worse.
Between the ages of 12 and 15 Joanna was molested repeatedly by a family member. She did not
know how to fight back against that. He made her feel worthless in the worst kind of way. But she
could fight at school. Aggression became Joanna's outlet to take control of something when she was
taken advantage of. She began to feel life was not worth living. She had lost something that was so
valuable to her, so what was the point of caring? Joanna flunked out of junior high and fell into a deep
depression. She began huffing gas to take the pain and the horrible memories away. She smoked
marijuana. When she did, she didn't have to face the reality of her experience. Joanna thought about
dying over and over again. Her family checked her into a mental health facility. Up to this point,
Joanna had not connected that her depression and aggression were both rooted in those years of
suffering. The road to healing has been very long.
Joanna now attends ALE and is trying to catch up on her studies. It is there she learned about Youth
Strategies’ Summer Program. She has spent this summer employed by Youth Strategies working
with a non-profit organization that aids people in need. She has developed impeccable office skills
and is really beginning to blossom. Joanna has said looking back and comparing this summer to
last summer there is a world of difference. She is beginning to gain confidence and find worth. She
says that this summer is a start to her future. She has taken on a lot of responsibility and now has the
courage to take on even more. She said "at home I was stressed out a lot and this job helps me be
away from home and grow and learn and earn and find purpose." Joanna hopes to one day become
a psychiatrist and help other people who walked the same path that she walked. She is absolutely
beautiful inside and out and is understanding what true happiness is. She now uses that old fighting
spirit to aggressively fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. As for Youth Strategies she says,
“Thanks so much for believing in me and giving me a chance!”
her. She was treated like a princess. However, that Cinderella start changed when she began to
attend elementary school. Joanna was called ugly by students and adults at the school. She recalls
being passed over time and again for recognition or pictures. Her most vivid memory was when a
group picture was being taken and a teacher asked her to step out of the picture because she wasn't
pretty enough. That memory still haunts Joanna every time she looks into the mirror. People, mainly
white people, threw these words at Joanna. It was about 5th grade that Joanna remembers latching
onto a racist mentality. She would not ask the other students to stop or go to a teacher to let them
know what was said. She simply silenced them by picking out a flaw in the offender and harshly
making fun of it. Joanna quickly perfected the art of insulting and would sit back and laugh as the
bully became bullied. She didn't realize that she had become what she hated. By middle school she
began to take her bullying to new extremes and become more aggressive. She was more than
willing to pick a fight with anyone. She was fighting hard against something. It was during this period
that things went from bad to worse.
Between the ages of 12 and 15 Joanna was molested repeatedly by a family member. She did not
know how to fight back against that. He made her feel worthless in the worst kind of way. But she
could fight at school. Aggression became Joanna's outlet to take control of something when she was
taken advantage of. She began to feel life was not worth living. She had lost something that was so
valuable to her, so what was the point of caring? Joanna flunked out of junior high and fell into a deep
depression. She began huffing gas to take the pain and the horrible memories away. She smoked
marijuana. When she did, she didn't have to face the reality of her experience. Joanna thought about
dying over and over again. Her family checked her into a mental health facility. Up to this point,
Joanna had not connected that her depression and aggression were both rooted in those years of
suffering. The road to healing has been very long.
Joanna now attends ALE and is trying to catch up on her studies. It is there she learned about Youth
Strategies’ Summer Program. She has spent this summer employed by Youth Strategies working
with a non-profit organization that aids people in need. She has developed impeccable office skills
and is really beginning to blossom. Joanna has said looking back and comparing this summer to
last summer there is a world of difference. She is beginning to gain confidence and find worth. She
says that this summer is a start to her future. She has taken on a lot of responsibility and now has the
courage to take on even more. She said "at home I was stressed out a lot and this job helps me be
away from home and grow and learn and earn and find purpose." Joanna hopes to one day become
a psychiatrist and help other people who walked the same path that she walked. She is absolutely
beautiful inside and out and is understanding what true happiness is. She now uses that old fighting
spirit to aggressively fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. As for Youth Strategies she says,
“Thanks so much for believing in me and giving me a chance!”
| Copyright 2005-2010 Youth Strategies, PO Box 107, Springdale AR 72765 |