I am working to earn level four. I have been at level three for a while now and it is time to move forward in my program. My hope is that I will be able to reach level four so that I can earn an off-campus visit with my family. At first I had no desire to work at all but lately I have been motivated to move forward. I finally seen that when I stop working for my parents I could clearly see that I was doing some level of work. I still have things to work on but I just take each day one day at a time and take tiny steps to get to where I want to be. My main focus now is to not think about going home and get as much work done on myself. Albert O.

I earned level three on last Friday. I was excited when I seen that I was suppported. Then my birthday was on Saturday and I got the chance to have an on-campus visit with my mom for my birthday. I found myself losing sight of focusing on my responsibilities of level three. I seen myself want to go into that power-tripping mode and I found myself sitting back and pretty much waiting for one of my peers to violate a rule. I really need to sit back and set some goal for myself so that I can get it together. I finally believe what they say about just as quick as it is given to you, it can be taken away. But in my case, if I am not careful it will not be taken away I am going to give it away on a silver platter if I am not aware of myself. I know what I need to do so I will focus on getting things in order so that I can not only continue to move forward in my program but also so that I can be a leader to my peers. Samantha S.

This has been a difficult week for me. I sent out my confession letter and my mom has not responded yet. I am worried that she will be mad at me for me for the things that I have done. I shared a lot of why I did what I did before I came here. I would not take any of it back because I learned from it all. I will take it to help me help others that may go where I have been and to help me be a better sister to my younger siblings. Karen G.

I am leaving this morning to go home for good. I will miss many of the staff that have helped me along the way. I accomplished a lot while I was here. I look forward to starting my future and getting my high school diploma. I never seen myself graduating from high school. I gained a lot of knowledge while being here at RRA. This is an opportunity that I will never forget. I am going to miss bothering my Family Rep. about everything! Steven M.

We changed rooms today and I got really irritated for some reason. Something that I need to add to my to do list is learn to be patient and be prepared for change at any time. I have always struggled with change but it has gotten better. I look forward to talking to my family on next week because I get a phone call with them. Morgan J.

This week has been a long week for me. I am missing one of my peers that left on last week that I was really close to. We have been doing everything together for the past few months and now that he is gone I feel so lost. I am proud of him for working to go home. I find myself being lost since he is gone. I feel that this has showed me that I actually do know how to build relationships with other people, which is something that I struggled with before I came here. I can definitely see that I have grown a lot. Looking for better days! Johnathan B.