Senior Jason Ramos has a bright future ahead of him with a goal of attending Lanier Technical College’s firefighter program. At the beginning of this school year, it did not seem this goal would become a reality. Jason was skipping classes daily, misleading his teachers about his schoolwork, neglecting his assignments, and procrastinating until the very last minute (if he even attempted to complete the work at all). These behaviors mirrored his first three years of high school, when Jason struggled with time management and an overall commitment to his education. Entering his senior year, Jason was keenly aware that his graduation plan was going to be challenging and require additional effort, including recovery courses outside of the school day, but this realization did not bring about immediate and noticeable change. The mindset remained that somehow, he would manage to get everything completed at the last minute.

Determined to see him succeed, and realizing Jason’s current patterns of behavior would not bring about desired results, the school took a proactive approach and implemented additional support to help Jason his senior year. We even went so far as to track him down when he skipped class. This persistence finally made an impact, as Jason began showing up to class on his own. Motivating him to attend class was the critical first step in turning things around for the better.

Jason’s newfound commitment to attending class has had amazing impacts on all areas of his education. He began heeding advice on important missing assignments to complete, and he even began turning these in before their respective deadlines. Eventually, Jason realized that doing the work when it is assigned and on time is the best way to be successful. He is now passing every class, has little work missing, and has even started to inspire younger students to stay on top of schoolwork. Reflecting on his journey, he will tell others, “You just make it harder on yourself in the end if you put off everything, and you cannot always fix everything at the last minute... The proof is my failed courses. Learn from my mistakes.”

Looking back, Jason believes that the academic struggles began in high school, but he does not necessarily think that COVID was the catalyst. He acknowledges that there was a definite lack of structure and deadlines through COVID, but he ultimately holds himself accountable, recognizing he had a lack of focus and did not take school seriously. Jason attributes his positive changes to the strong relationships he built with school personnel this year. He acknowledges that the help that was provided played a significant role in motivating him to make the needed changes this school year. Jason is proof that change is possible with the right mindset, support, and determination. We look forward to seeing him have a successful end to his senior year, graduate in May, and pursue his dreams of becoming a firefighter.