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Lives Changed: Roel Esquivel

Roel Esquivel

Roel’s future was looking bright at his previous school. He was excelling in his studies as well as achieving in both basketball and track. But Roel soon began to experiment with drugs and to lose sight of what was really important-his friends and his education.

He pursued this lifestyle until the last week of school when police officers came and arrested him for possession of drugs. As he was led to the police car, the crowd formed. All of his former coaches gathered around to look on as the student with so much potential was handcuffed and put in the backseat. Roel remembers the day well and recalls, "I felt low, lower than dirt."

He glanced up and looked into the eyes of his favorite coach. Roel saw the hurt and disappointment that was so boldly written across his coach’s face. At that moment, he knew that this was not what life was about, and he knew he needed to change. After a short time in jail, he asked his mother if he could be transferred to Premier High School. He knew that at Premier he could get his life on track, finish his credits faster and start taking his education seriously again.

Roel has started to succeed once more. Now, he stays out of trouble because he knows that the road he was on left few options for the future. However, Premier gives him the chance to pursue a life full of opportunity. Roel says, “I know I’ve changed because of the people that are here. They believe in me, and they believe in who I can become.”