Why I Dropped Out of High School by guest @Christina_Z13

Rachel Thompson

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Why I Dropped Out of High School by guest @Christina_Z13

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Christina ZarrellaBy, Christina Zarrella author of the “Turbulence in the Veins” blog and upcoming memoir by the same title. She was run away teen who dropped out of high school, lived on the streets of San Francisco, and later earned a full scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to attend Yale University for graduate school. Website | Twitter | Facebook

When I was 16 I ran away from my hometown in Connecticut to San Francisco, California. I didn’t run away from home exactly – I hadn’t lived with my parents for six months or so at the time. It was August and I was just about to start my senior year of high school. Maybe it seems like dropping out was my plan, but it wasn’t. I thought my best option was to try and start my senior year someplace new, so I could have a fresh start. In my hometown, I’d suffered, was depressed, and also under the influence of a psychiatric cocktail that kept me that way.

In San Francisco, I lived in youth shelters and on the streets. Yet I continued to work with a social worker at Larkin Street Youth Services to get enrolled in a high school. It was nothing less than a miracle that he managed to get me into a top public school – the kind with a waiting list of kids far more stable than me. I started classes but quickly became frustrated – living in a homeless shelter and trying to attend high school wasn’t going to work for me. I chose to return to my hometown, but not my family, to finish high school. Once I had my diploma, I thought, the possibilities for my future were endless – I could go to any college I was accepted to, and move forward with my life.

It didn’t work out that way. What happened when I returned to my hometown high school will, no doubt, sound crazy. Yet this happens to kids everyday in schools across the country. No longer will I remain silent.

My school’s administrators tagged me as a problem child, a cancer to be removed before it spread to the rest of the student body. Kids with problems – depression, cutting, and taking psychiatric meds – weren’t seen as worthy. The people who should have helped me, betrayed me. They wanted me out of that school. First, they attempted to show that I was failing my classes, but I wasn’t. I’d even managed to be placed into two Advanced Placement (AP) courses despite the little effort I gave my studies. Next, they discovered my parents had moved to a different town. Although my in-town address had not changed, I was thrown out of school because my parents had changed theirs. The state recognized me as emancipated, and my town should have as well. It was a technicality, and also illegal. With no advocate, I was promptly dismissed from public school for no reason other than being deemed a problem kid.

I called the nearby town where my parents lived and was told I couldn’t attend there either – I wasn’t a resident. Weeks later, someone suggested me that I should talk to an effective legal lawyer similar to Bob Bratt. With no internet in the 1990s, I pulled out a phone book and randomly dialed one. He listened to my story, and told me what the school administrators had done was illegal – I was a resident of that town and had a right to attend public high school. He instructed me to call my school and repeat what he had said. If they gave me any problems after that, he would take my case. I don’t know who that man was, but I am so grateful to him. That stranger gave me courage, and also hope.

After I called the high school, I was immediately readmitted. My excitement was short- lived. I had an entirely new problem – I’d missed weeks of classes. No tutor was offered, and I was in no state to catch up on the missed work. I was drowning. With no help offered, I sank.

The school administrators won. I dropped out of high school that November. With no hope of finishing high school, I returned to living on the streets of San Francisco before Christmas. The following year I earned a high school equivalency, but did not achieve my dream of attending college until I was 23. I completed my Bachelor Degree with a 4.0 average, and went on to earn a graduate degree from Yale University with a full scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. If you’re like me, look at this online accounting tuition for IGCSE near KL.

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Some think I should be angry with those school administrators for forcing me to drop out of high school. I’m not. Yes, they tried to squash me, but what they really did was make me stronger. I never would have achieved the academic success that I have if it weren’t for them. I’m grateful. If any of those folks are reading – thank you.

What does make me angry is that I’m not the only kid who was stereotyped and treated like trash to be discarded. My high school was later investigated for having an inordinately high drop-out rate for such an affluent suburb – I was not the only one targeted, harassed, and forced to drop-out. Sadly, I know that it’s not the only school that does this. It happens everywhere. No one deserves to be treated like a throwaway. And this throwaway ended up a Yale graduate.

 

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Comments

  1. Way to go, Christina. Despite all the bad, you came out on top and proved to the only person that matters, yourself, that you are strong and resilient. Simply ridiculous that you were ever treated that way to begin with though.

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    • Thanks for reading and commenting, Julie! Christina is such an inspiration — for any child OR adult who has been shoved aside for whatever reasons. Her resilience and drive are admirable. I’m thrilled to host her. Can’t wait for her book!

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    • Thank you Julie and Rachel! Things ended up working out for me, but I do worry about what happens to all of those kids who were treated the same way and didn’t have the resilience to pull through. Thank you for reading!

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  2. Now that took determination and you did well for coming through it. I definitely know, from personal experience as well, how difficult it is to get though something like that when everything and everyone seems to be working against you. On my own, I did the same. I pushed myself to make it regardless. I’m not on the same level as you, but I did recently manage to have one of my short stories picked up by the IBO – International Baccalaureate Organization – to use in their world-wide middle years language and literature teacher support material. This was an accomplishment I never dreamed could happen for me, so we are living proof that sometimes things do work out. All my best to you and great job for sharing your story. Maybe your story will help someone else along the way. ~ Tracy J.

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    • Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Tracy. and wow! grats on your achievement. That’s HUGE.

      I’m so thrilled for you and for Christina — it’s hard enough getting through school without so many roadblocks — but having one at every turn is why we have such issues with runaways and teen violence (IMHO, anyway). It shows how one person truly can make a significant difference.

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    • Congratulations Tracy! I am always happy to hear from other folks who were in similar situations and kept pushing forwards anyways. It’s important for others to see that they don’t have to be the person that others think they are – they can achieve whatever they set their minds to. Thanks so much for reading and sharing your story too!

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    • Thank you Janie! Getting and education was something I never gave up on, even though there were times it seemed impossible. I feel very lucky and hope that others in similar situations will see that they can do it too.

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  5. What an amazing story, Christina and kudos to you for thriving in the face of such adversity. I wish I could say I was surprised by the way your school district treated you, but I’m not. You’re truly and inspiration and thank you for sharing your journey with us. I don’t know you personally but I’m sitting at my desk in New Jersey cheering for you. Way to go!!

    Stephanie

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    • Thanks so much Stephanie – for reading an the kind words. I know the way I was treated by my high school wasn’t unique and I do worry about other kids that this has happened to. Thanks for the cheers! Now to finish up writing the memoir…

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  6. My oldest daughter is having problems staying in school. She started her freshman year in public school, then we pulled her out to home school because of unresolved medical problems. She worked really hard at a program we found online and finished her freshman year with ease. Then we went to put her back in public school this year and they would not accept her home school credits. Illinois has no laws and apparently our local public school accepts NO home school credits. I tried to bargain with them and they indicated they would work out a deal where she could do her high school course in three years by doing dual credit, overload classes, and doubling up, but they called two days before school started and said that I must have misunderstood and they could not do that. I talked to every administrator I could get my hands on and got nowhere. Now we are struggling to quickly find an accredited She has plans to attend Yale. Your story is certainly giving me hope that this can be accomplished! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply

    • That’s a bummer, Cindy!

      My daughter does online public school through CAVA (it’s a K-12 company) and they are fully accredited and national. Maybe check that out as an option.

      thanks for sharing

      xx

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      • The only option K12 has for their public school option is up around Chicago, unfortunately. You have to be a resident. Options in Illinois sucks. It seems like I’ve checked every program and every one has something that just doesn’t fit. It sucks when it’s your kid’s education at stake and you’re so confused about what to do. Thankfully, there are lots of options and she is really motivated, so once we get one chosen, it will be fine. It’s just frustrating that it isn’t more structured in Illinois and we had this trouble.

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    • Hi Cindy! I’m sorry to hear what your daughter is going through. The one-size-fits-all education certainly doesn’t work for everyone. She sounds like a very dedicated young woman and student to be doing so well while struggling with medical issues.
      Kudos to her for setting her sights high on the Ivy League! While challenging now, these struggles with actually help her stand out from her peers when it comes time for her to apply to college. Good luck!

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  7. That was an amazing testament to courage and strength! I applaud Christina for not giving up. She did it on her own with a few angels along the way. That fight against the education institution is a difficult one – I know, I fought it for my son – for years. I came out on top as well. He’s not yet college age, but an A student, yet they tried to label him as well and I didn’t allow that. So, my hat is off to her for fighting a fight that I am familiar with and winning. It’s not an easy undertaking and she did it not allowing anyone to steal her future…AND went to Yale! You go, girl!

    Reply

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