By Ali G.

When I accepted the reality that I would graduate high school six months late in order to complete the eighteen months it would take for me to get my life and my program in order at the Family Foundation School, I thought it was a given that I would be holding off on beginning my college career. What I didn’t account for was the opportunity to be a part of The Bridge program.

Two days a week, I, along with five other students, get the amazing chance to take classes at Broome Community College in Binghamton. Stephen, Conor, Noel, Chris, Lucas and I each take either four or three classes, a full course load, as well as maintaining an internship position at the Family School. Receiving dual credit for these college classes is an amazing chance for me to be able to compensate for my substandard high school GPA, having spent three years of my public high school career sleeping on my desk, cheating, drinking during school and getting kicked out of class. It’s also a great way to transition back into the “real” world, figuring out how to integrate the principles I’ve learned at the Family School in another setting, where not everybody is a “program person”, so to speak.

Focusing on school, work, program and a little bit of fun is definitely a challenge, but it’s nothing compared to the balancing act I’ll be facing when I have to live on my own, pay rent, hold a job, and eventually, support a family. Practicing and honing the life skills I’m learning, as a part of the Bridge Program is only the beginning of a long road to recovery that I know will last a lifetime.

(Editors note: The Family Foundation School learned this week that the Bridge students together achieved a 3.91 GPA the summer sessions!)