Drop outs: California’s lost causes help themselves

It is estimated that between the years of 2007 and 2008, 8,961 students dropped out of high school in the Capital Region. Yolo county accounted for about 373 of these drop outs. Davis is home to the Davis Adult School which is a district run program that offers these drop outs a second chance at success.K

ymberlee is a 19 year old student at the Davis Adult School.

Growing up, she was moved all around the country from family to family, but always managed to keep good grades. She was kicked out of her home at the age of 17 and was expected to fend for herself.

Kymberlee started out hoping to balance school and a full time job to support herself. However, she was unable to maintain her grades and pay her bills. She felt the only way she would be able to survive was by dropping out. “[I] did not want to drop out, I had to” Kymblerlee said.

At 19, Kymberlee is still eligible to be a high school student and potentially attend DHS, but she has other interests in her life, including her 2-year-old niece whom she cares for often and loves very much, “She’s my joy” Kymberlee said.

Kymberlee hopes to graduate high school this time around with a 4.0 GPA and move on to UC Davis. She intends on getting her degree in early childhood development. ” I want to help them [young children] have a better life, I had a rough childhood,” Kymberlee said.

Micah has a different story. He was a student at DaVinci and left after his senior year. He was not eligible for graduation and his counselors recommended the Davis Adult School. Micah wasn’t the victim of a hard life; high school just wasn’t for him. “I didn’t like the structure of school,…it [school] felt drawn out,” Micah said. Micah dreams of entering the music industry in some way.

Micah is grateful for the Davis Adult school for giving him another option towards graduation without having to follow the crowd, “Adult school has allowed me to get my diploma” he said.

While Micah left high school out of choice, Chan left school in a haze of peer pressure.

“I was a straight A student” Chan said, “but that wasn’t cool.” Chan started skipping classes to fit in and found himself facing a difficult decision due to his truancy.

“They gave me two options; go to jail or drop out” Chan said. “I didn’t want to drop out, I had to”

 

After leaving school, Chan started looking for jobs, but learned quickly that all applications ask for the level of schooling you have completed. “It never occurred to me that school was so major, not until I started looking for a job,” Chan said.

Chan left at 17 and is now working towards his diploma at 25 and intends to go to college to get a good job. “I’m a scholar now,” Chan said.

Nichole also had trouble fitting in, “Acceptance, being different, trying to fit in were always a big thing for me,” Nichole said.

Nichole left DaVinci at 18 and joined the work force hoping to start a life for herself. ” I wanted to get out of the house. I couldn’t really live there, I needed to leave” Nichole said.

Nichole has put school on hold, until now. At the age of 22, she has already been accepted to the Sacramento Art Institute, but was told she needed to first obtain her high school diploma.

 

She will be studying video art and animation.

All four of these students are hoping to go onto college and better themselves through higher education. They look back on their decision to drop out as a lesson they are glad they have learned but warn, “Don’t do it”.

To any student struggling with the decision to stay in school, Chan has these words of advice; “keep your eye on the prize, push towards your mark. Don’t go with the crowd, don’t do it. Always tell yourself ‘I can do it, I can do it, I can do it….'”.

“Get school over with now, [so that] you can have a nice life” Nichole said.

The Davis Adult School meets every Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. The opportunity to achieve a high school diploma is free for all students

Kymberlee is grateful to be able to finish her high school education. “I am thankful for Davis Adult ed.,” Kymberlee said.

Micah wants other drop outs to know their options, “if you need it [Davis Adult School], go. There shouldn’t even be a doubt [your] mind.”