My name is Alisa. No one would ever believe my story, so I stay silent. I go about my day at school like life is good and I am one of the “in-crowd”. The reality is that both of my parents are drunks. My dad left about two years ago. He wasn’t much good [...]

I’d like to share my story of going from one extreme to another. I’ll begin with the year 2012, the time when I hit rock bottom and had had enough. Looking back, basically all my life was a struggle. At the time I remember thinking that all of my challenges were normal because that [...]

Jake grew up in Tucson with his mom and brother, with both boys being subjected to repeated verbal and emotional abuse. After several domestic violence reports were filed, the boys were removed by CPS and have spent close to 10 years in group homes, away from family members. Jake has struggled academically and is [...]

Morgan grew up in Phoenix and was raised by her mother. Her dad lived in Mexico and was unable to support the family financially. Morgan was a very gifted student with a bright future ahead of her. When she was a teenager, she was in the car with her mom and sister on the [...]

Seventeen year old Kevin is bright and passionate about academics, despite the difficulties he’s faced throughout his life. Kevin’s mother lost parental rights early in his life and his father struggled to support them financially. As their bills grew, so did the tension between Kevin and his father. Eventually it was too much, and [...]

Jawara and Malaika are Sudanese refugees, living under the care of their 22 year old sister, Asha. Their father returned to his African homeland several years ago, and their mother, having recently lost a leg in a car accident, followed shortly thereafter. Asha works full time at a pre-school, but earns just above minimum [...]

Stephen was removed by the Department of Child Safety as a minor and resided in a group home, struggling to receive the resources and guidance he needed. During his senior year of high school, Stephen was placed in a University of Arizona transitional program designed to teach life skills and prepare him for adulthood. [...]

Victoria has always felt the burning need to help others, dreaming of serving her country in the military and one day, hopefully attending college. Victoria witnessed her father’s immediate deportation to Mexico while her mother was detained in Tucson. Eventually, her mother was also deported abandoning Victoria and her younger siblings. She found a [...]

As a young person, alone and living on her own since she was 16, Susanna Alvarez-Hadden knew that she liked helping other people. However at this time in her life, she needed support and was being helped by Youth On Their Own. Through the Youth On Their Own program, Susanna was able to complete [...]

When I was 15 years old I found out I was pregnant. I was shocked, scared and just sick to my stomach, no not from the pregnancy but from the thought of having to tell my parents. So I decided to run away. I didn’t know where to go at first but after a [...]