JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Cadets from the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy sat poignantly yesterday morning during graduation ceremonies at Pearl City High School. The academy provides older at-risk teens a second chance at high school diplomas.

Youth Challenge puts graduates on path to success

The National Guard program presents high-school diplomas to its 24th class

Halfway through the 11th grade, Jonathan Vance was using heroin and dropped out of American Fork High School in Utah.

Two months after completing a drug rehabilitation program, his uncle Byron Vance of Ala Moana suggested that he attend the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy.

Vance, then 18, moved to Hawaii in hopes of getting his high school diploma through the program.

Five months later, Vance, now 19, was honored at a ceremony yesterday with the director's academic award for obtaining the highest score for the general equivalency diploma tests.

"It was a total turnaround ... 180 degrees to where he is now," said his uncle, whose son, Jacob Vance, participated in the same program last year.

A graduation ceremony was held at the Pearl City High School Auditorium yesterday for 85 students of the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy.

The program provides "at risk" students between ages 16 and 18 a second chance to obtain their high school diplomas. Nearly 1,900 students have graduated from the program since its inception in 1994. Yesterday's class was the 24th to complete the 5 1/2-month residential program, according to officials.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Cadet Aquila Sotelo, right, was doused with silly string yesterday as he was greeted by his grandmother Lurline Sotelo after the Youth Challenge Academy graduation at Pearl City High.

"I didn't have my mind set on anything at all. I was just kinda there," he said. His drug use started with marijuana and progressed to heroin when he was 17. His addiction lasted for 10 months before he entered a rehabilitation program.

"I had very, very low self-esteem," Vance said. "They helped me give me some confidence and told me that I can turn around and do something with my life."

With the help of the program's staff, he has set goals for himself.

"Now, I know what I want to do," said Vance, who plans to attend Kapiolani Community College in the fall to become an emergency medical technician and, later, a paramedic.

Vance said he wants to transfer to a four-year college to study psychology and criminal law.

Along with the director's academic award, Vance was also awarded $2,000 through the Merrill Lynch Scholarship. "It's been awesome," Vance said of the program and fellow cadets.

Matthew Rash, who spoke on behalf of the students during the ceremony, thanked the program's staff for the life lessons they learned, including self-discipline, teamwork and responsibility.

"Many said we would never make it, that we would fail and this program is a waste of our time. But we proved them wrong at every turn by the changes we made and the positive attitude that we brought out in each other," Rash said.

"Many of us came to this program to earn our high school diplomas. But to our surprise, this program benefited us more than we expected," he said.

Nohealani Meiers, 17, of Makakilo, who was honored with the Governor's Distinguished Graduate Award, said, "I think Youth Challenge made me into a better person."