Javon Johnson

Coming up, school was very fun for me; not actually being in class, but the atmosphere of it. I was at school everyday, on time, from first to sixth grade. Seventh grade was going smooth until I was shot. That took me out of school for the rest of that year and I was already a year behind so it was a real downfall.

Being two years behind, I started the seventh grade over. I hated the fact that I was two years back, but I loved the school I went to and the friends I had there. After I graduated I became a sixteen year old freshmen and would be turning seventeen three months before the end of the school year. With that being said, the school thought it would just be best for me to get my GED. It really hurt because as a kid, I always pictured myself walking the stage at my high school graduation and going to prom, all the fun high school stuff.

East Oakland Youth Development Center helped me a lot, getting my head back in the books and just getting that school mentality back. I may not have graduated from high school, but finishing this program sure does feel just as good.

Knowing that all my hard work has paid off just lets me know that if you work hard for what you want, anything is possible!!


Javon Johnson
2009 Graduate