I was dealing with grief and facing other challenges at home, and I struggled to balance working long hours with school and athletics. Then I found a caring adult in my school who recognized my passion for art and encouraged me to invest in my future. With his help, I developed a plan to attend art school and pursue my dream career as an animator.
Find out what I’m made of. Click on the items below to explore my portrait, and hover over the left navigation for more of my story.
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Click to stop the audioThe summer before her freshman year, I lost my little sister at the age of sixteen. The rose represents her, and the marigolds represent Día de Los Muertos, a Latin American holiday where families celebrate the lives of loved ones who are no longer with us.
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Click to stop the audioIt was hard for me and my family. Feelings of stress and unhappiness challenged me throughout high school. Before Communities In Schools found me, I felt I was alone and had few places to turn to.
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Click to stop the audioI ran for my school’s cross-country team during my junior year while balancing long work hours. During tough times, I’ve been able to channel negative feelings into running—where I was able to grow my relationship with Coach Casson. It’s become a huge, positive outlet for me.
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Click to stop the audioIn the beginning of sophomore year, in foster care, I attended St. John's High School. The school logo features an anchor. Separating from my mom and my home was tough and really hard for me. But it allowed me to think and see the bigger picture—to put the pieces of my life together.
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Click to stop the audioWorking long hours to support my mom and two younger brothers, academic support has been a crucial part of helping me keep my grades and attendance on track while balancing my work schedule.
Joseph is a senior at R.B. Stall High School in North Charleston, South Carolina. Despite facing grief and challenges at home, Joseph balanced working long hours with school and athletics. Joseph met Andy Casson, a site coordinator for Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area, who supported Joseph’s passion for art and invested in his future. With Andy’s help, Joseph now has a structured plan to attend art school and pursue his dream career as an animator.
The death of a loved one is tough, but Día de los Muertos helps us cope.
Día de los Muertos not only allows me to feel my heritage, but it also gives my mom and me some peace. One day, I came home and saw our bookshelf filled with candles and pictures of my sister. The death of a loved one is tough, but Día de los Muertos helps us cope.
My resilience to adversity.
I want the world to know my story, no matter what they take from it.
I hope my story connects with someone and helps them realize that they’re not the only one with weight on their shoulders. That’s what I want the world to know.
of youth do not get treatment for diagnosable depression. SAMHSA, 2014
Finding social acceptance. In this age of social media, I feel that students are yearning to be like celebrities, or they feel pressured to be someone they’re not.
My site coordinator taught me many things, but one that I will always remember is that education is the key to helping support me and my family. Once I get a degree and pursue my career, I can come back and support my family tremendously.
After high school, I hope to attend my local technical college and then transfer to an art college like SCAD, Ringling, SAIC, or MassArt for a bachelor’s degree in animation.
I first ran cross country my junior year with my best friend; I wanted to cross a sport off my list of things to experience in high school. While running, I felt like I only had a few things on my mind: getting from point A to point B, my breathing, and my footwork. I wasn’t running from my problems or forgetting about them, but I was calm and focused.
Public speaking. Speaking to people face-to-face or to large groups can be tough, and I feel like many teenagers struggle with speaking their mind. But once you gain that confidence, no one can take it away
from you.
