Many of you know I was a wild child at 12 years old. I was a drug addict, my boyfriend was 21 years old and a drug dealer. I did not go to school for a month and spent three days in Juvenile Detention for that.

I don’t remember the circumstances but I was caught with a gun and put on probation. I met with her every month and for 7 months I did not talk. She said the State of Texas wanted to take custody and send me to a boot camp type of facility as punishment.

She did not believe a boot camp was what I needed to reform. She told me about potential options and one day I asked if she could find a boarding school to stay for a year.

My Granny and the Probation Officer worked together to find a boarding school for bad girls. My Granny remembered a Convent for bad girls from when she was younger. Sure enough, the Convent was what I needed, and I stayed there for a year.

My Probation Officer was patient with me and took me to my dental and doctor’s appointments. She never told me what I did wrong or talked down to me. The only snag was when she showed up one day and I was wearing a tee that said cocaine. She made me change. Fair enough.

She encouraged me, told me how smart I was, and other complements I was not used to hearing.

I was transformed early in my stay and was promoted to the highest rank, giving me complete freedom.

She was one of the good guys who saw something in me and I’m so thankful for her. She saved my life.

Melinda