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Student profile: Marisol and fellow cadets get a fresh start at Sunburst Youth Academy

Jul 16, 2019



In our latest OCDE Student Profile, we bring you the story of Marisol, a cadet who recently graduated from the Sunburst Youth Academy.


For those who might not have heard it, Sunburst is a community high school for at-risk youth that’s operated by the California National Guard in partnership with OCDE. Students spend five and a half months in a military-style environment that enables them to develop leadership, pride and confidence as they earn high school credits and engage in learning with real-world applications.


“I didn’t believe in myself,” says Marisol, who grew up surrounded by crime and drugs. “I didn’t think I was going to be capable of anything. But (Sunburst) showed me I could be more than a high school dropout, and that I can complete things.”


Watch her story in the brief video above, produced by Greg Lammers of OCDE’s Media Services team. And for more information about Sunburst, visit sunburstyouthacademy.com.

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