An Unplanned Journey

Posted: March 26, 2019

By Rosa Arrington, Former Overcoming Obstacles Student

Surrounded by poverty, gangs, and drugs, I immersed myself in my own world. “It’s a way of life, the norm.” Those were my thoughts growing up in Southern Los Angeles. It wasn’t until I became a young adult that I realized I became desensitized to my own environment. I can recall all sorts of encounters I had growing up: violent, unbelievable, and very surreal stories. But, instead, I’ll tell you about the untimely, unplanned encounters that led me to a path of success.

My story is no different or special than any other young girl living in the hood. To survive, you had to be resilient (and that I am!). After being kicked out of my old school due to excessive truancy, I enrolled at Manual Arts High School in my sophomore year only to fall into the same old habits. I honestly didn’t like school. It was boring and, worst of all, the teachers didn’t seem to care if we were learning. I had a teacher who read the newspaper during the entire class period while we worked on a worksheet.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm, I walked into the beige colored building every day, passing through the tall gates and listening to the loud profanity echoing across the hallway. After a few weeks, I found myself hanging out with the same types of people I had been removed from at my last school. Our daily routine would consist of checking into Homeroom and then skipping school for the rest of the day. I frequently fell into very destructive patterns.

One day during Homeroom, a visitor came to talk to us about “Life Skills.” I recall being in a bad mood over drama/situations that occurred at home the prior night. My mom, who was the head of my household, was often verbally abusive and slapped my face every time she disliked any of my responses. My mother was bipolar as I was unaware, until later in life, when I also learned that she was losing her memory. She is now suffering from Dementia.

As I sat in my dirty, unbalanced, graffiti-tagged desk, I remember thinking about cutting class to go to Venice Beach after Homeroom. My thoughts were interrupted by a short-statured visitor who asked the class (with her bright red lipstick and ecstatic voice), “What are Life Skills?” No one seemed to know or care. But, surprisingly, I found that I was curious. I knew that I didn’t plan to hop on the bus every day, or skip school every day, or party with my friends. No, in fact, I cared more about what she had to say than the people around me. So, I listened to the speaker as she described goal setting, job preparedness, internships, and so on. She invited us to visit the group sessions after school. There I was, fidgeting in my seat, from planning to catch the next bus, to switching gears to something new and unplanned. That decision changed my entire course in life, from going to college, having a family of my own, and obtaining a career in the Charter School world. An unplanned journey became a planned-out mission that ensured that the Life Skills I learned through Overcoming Obstacles would give me the tools and knowledge to reach my goals. I learned several valuable lessons which I still utilize in my current role, like problem solving, creating solutions, strategizing, and communicating with others.

I consider myself a successful product of Life Skills Education and its effect on young people. Not because I graduated from a prestigious college, nor because I was a great student with an extensive vocabulary. My success is attributed to the fact I am alive today and presently able to tell my story. When I was in high school, many of my former peers ended up either dead, incarcerated, addicted to drugs, or had to drop out because they got pregnant. However, after countless nights and summers of playing catch up, I managed to graduate along with a friend I met in my senior year. Eventually, I went on to pursue a career in non-profit management, which lead me to my current position.

I wouldn’t have been able to reach my goals if it wasn’t for receiving a Life Skills Education. My contributions as a leader in Charter Schools for the past 14 years are an outcome of having learned life skills in High School. I utilize those skills now as a leader, parent, and advocate for Life Skills Education.