BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — As graduation ceremonies take place across Kern County, students inside the James G. Bowles Youth Detention Center are celebrating an achievement they say once felt out of reach.
“I had to over come my bad habits of basically hanging around bad crowds i just needed to put the work in to be able to at least graduate. I finished all my work on time I did extra credit and everything to get it done just so I could graduate,” one student said.
These are young people who’ve faced the consequences of choices that landed them on the wrong side of the law. They admit the road back hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth every step.
Many fought to break free from personal struggles, sharpen their focus in the classroom, and prove to themselves and to their families, that they could rise above, reclaim their future, and earn that hard-won diploma.
“Today means a big thing for me because I thought I could never do it and I did for my parents, my grandparents, my little brothers, and my little sister. and I feel like this is all I got. If I can do it in here I can do it on the outs,” another student said.
Staff members say the ceremony recognizes more than academic achievement. It's also about the growth, accountability, and determination students have shown while preparing for life beyond the facility. Senior Deputy Probation Officer Salas says, “One thing I would like the people to understand is these youth and students are bigger than the circumstances there in. And so the reality is they may have done something significant; however, its not the end of the road for them. They have something to look forward to and our department does a good job of at least that transition a little easier for them and at least point them in the right direction.”
After graduation, these students will continue serving their time. But now, they say, they’re carrying something powerful with them: hope, purpose, and a future worth fighting for.
Students and staff say graduation is more than a ceremony. It's a reminder that growth, education, and new opportunities are possible moving forward.
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