Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Leticia Samuels | Cadet Michelle De Leon Resendiz of class 51 gives the cadet response the during their...... read more read more
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CLINTON, N.C. – Humming of excited-anticipating parents filled the auditorium as they waited patiently for their reconstructed young adults to walk across the stage and accept their diplomas.
Class 51 filed in a single line, waiting behind the stage curtain for their name to be called, signifying the successful completion of the Tarheel Challenge Academy (TCA) during their graduation ceremony at the Sampson County Agri-Center, Dec. 7, 2018.
TCA is a North Carolina National Guard program. Since its founding 25 years ago, the program has graduated over 4,850 teenagers.
TCA provides at-risk teens with a second opportunity to change the direction of their life. The quasi-military program instills discipline, structure and values, similar to what soldiers experience going through basic training.
“One hundred and fifty-three days ago we started on a collectivity and individual journey,” said Cadet Michelle De Leon Resendiz. “A journey that few of us were prepared to encounter, but we accepted the challenge; sometimes halfheartedly, sometimes begrudgingly to become better disciplined young adults.”
Cadets undergo a rigorous 22-week resident course exposing them to cultural awareness, conflict resolution, self-building exercises, life skills, and teamwork. Graduates also work toward attaining their General Education Development and have the opportunity to take the Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery exam, the Scholastic Assessment Test and participate in community service and fundraisers.
“Every activity at TCA is designed to create a synergy that makes us greater than the sum of our individual parts,” Resendiz said. “Experiences of the North Carolina Justice Academy, practicing drill and ceremony and other activities too numerous to name taught us to put our differences to the side and come together as a team, as an academy, as one.”
Following the TCA resident course, a 12-month post-residential phase begins at the cadet’s home of record where mentors from the cadet’s community establish a relationship and maintain a positive environment.
Graduates move toward their next life chapter through continuing their education, joining the workforce or even going on to join the military.
North Carolina National Guard’s Tarheel Challenge Academy has a sister location in New London that has been in operation for three years.
“To the most important group here, and the reason we're here; graduates I am proud of you,” said retired Col. Edward Timmons, director of Tarheel Challenge Academy. “You should be proud of yourself. Do not hide your pride, let it show.”
| Date Taken: | 12.07.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.14.2018 14:40 |
| Story ID: | 303623 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 132 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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