TYRONE F.

Having a criminal record hasn’t changed my dreams, but I’ve had to go about achieving them in a different way. Being charged as an adult affected me getting my education, because I was arrested during the summer going into my senior year of high school.  I missed the first four months of school and couldn’t graduate.  I had to get my education another way, by enrolling in the Youth Build GED program.  Being in jail affected me emotionally - I was depressed and felt like I was alone. If I was never arrested I would have graduated and had my service hours for college. I could have gotten a scholarship for playing football and I would have started on my master’s in business. Another thing is I would have had a chance to get a certification in construction. I also would have been able to attend an exchange program so I could go to China, a place I’ve always wanted to go. If I had not got arrested, I would not feel like everybody is always looking down on me.