Cross Creek Blogs

First I would like to begin by introducing myself; I am Katrina, a pure, powerful, and simply amazing young woman.

A year and a half ago my future looked more like an ending than a start.  I was  a runaway basically living on the streets, what I didn’t realize was that I was running from myself.  I wasn’t even living for the next day; it was luck to make it to the next hour.  I had lost sight of everything I valued.  I had no self-respect, nothing mattered anymore; except maybe my next fix.  My pain ran so deep that I was seeking any escape possible.

The journey did not begin with Cross Creek, however.  Growing up was hard and happened all to fast.  My mother first got sick when I was eight.  I didn’t understand the concept of living and dying, however, I would soon learn.  I blamed myself for her pain and spent my childhood years taking care of her in hopes of saving her, only to dub myself a failure.  As the years went by my mother became more and more ill.  I began to hate myself for being powerless to it all.  During my seventh grade year, she attempted suicide many times; each time I created more ammunition against myself.  A few weeks prior to my thirteenth birthday, I was taken from my mom and placed in the custody of my father.  My life was turned upside down in a moment and I found an outlet that I could blame for all the pain, my dad.  Here we were, two strangers that needed to make a family from a series of disasters.  Quickly, I was spiraled into depression, drugs and prostitution.  I rejected every had my dad offered to pull me out.  My mom was destined to die before I turned fourteen and to run from the inevitable I attempted suicide myself.  God had a different plan for my life, though it would take three years to see.  I have been to hell and back and the only reason why I’m able to stand here to day is because my dad never gave up on me.  He gave me a LIVE vote, when no one else would.

My time at Cross Creek has consisted of so much learning and growth sometimes I feel like it was all just a movie.  I remember my first few months I would stare myself down in the mirror with hatred.  I hated the fact that I had to face what I had spent years running from, MYSELF.  I believed that I was a hopeless cause; nothing good could come of me.  I held an incredible amount of shame and guilt for all that I had done, though I wouldn’t have admitted it.  It was not until I disclosed my pain and insecurities that I became open to the fact that I don’t know it all and needed help.  It was then that change began.

Slowly I began to regain my passion for life I had lost so many years previous.  I found I was worth it and could achieve success in my life.  Whether it was in school, running, or just simply playing I found I could be as great as I was wiling to commit to.  Once the fog began to fade I saw just how amazing life really was. Not to say that this all happened in a day - it was a long, hard road coming.

Today I can look in the mirror, smile my big goofy smile, hold my head high and declare that I am a Pure, Powerful, and Simply Amazing Young Woman,

We all come from different homes, we all have different stories; what I have come to learn is that the stories aren’t what matter.  What truly matters is why we are all here today: life, love and family.  It’s not about what I’ve done or why were here, it’s about where we are going and who we are going to be.  When I was young I had so many dreams and now I can turn them into reality.  I feel like a kid in a candy store, so many options….To Be Great!  All because I did it, I chose this road for myself.  Today is a day for rejoicing, acknowledgment for everything we have gone through, all the hard work to get to this point.  I am proud to stand here and declare that I am a survivor.  I pray that we will never stop fighting for what we value, and continue to create success - it does not stop here.  It’s not going to easy, we will have to be courageous, be odd in a popularity driven society.  I challenge myself and all of you to embrace who we are, stand against the crowd, and never settle with being like everybody else.  Never forget where you came from or the feeling you hold right now.

KATRINA P.

GRADUATED CROSS CREEK PROGRAMS

GUEST SPEAKER DECEMBER 2006

SHE PRESENTED THIS SPEECH TO THE GRADUATING CLASS

Posted on December 4th, 2007 by Jeni
Filed under: STUDENTS