A new legacy

Texas ChalleNGe Academy is a twenty-two-week program meant to help youths improve their lives. I heard of this program through my parents and my brother. My brother completed this program last cycle, and I am glad that I followed his lead and attended.

Experiencing this challenge from my own point of view is very different from that of my brother. Even though we exchanged letters throughout his time here, I could never understand the mental and physical strength needed to get through and finish this program. However, seeing how his whole mindset changed and how well he had done made me know that I could benefit from this program as well.

I am part of Echo Platoon, the only female platoon here. We started with 32 girls but are now down to 28. Even though we are the smallest platoon, we are considered the “honor platoon” because we’re basically the most squared away platoon and have earned over 15 streamers for our Guide On, (platoon flag).

One of the sayings here at TCA is to teach, develop, lead, mentor and serve. And our team leaders and teachers motivate us as best they can by speaking positivity and encouragement into us every day.

Throughout my stay here, I have made some childish decisions that had some not so childish consequences, which led to me losing my rank and going into candidate status. Even though it felt like a big bump in the road at the time, I worked hard to redeem myself and prove to myself and others that I can complete the challenge.

For the little time that I have left, I am dedicating myself to raising my self-esteem and to creating my own legacy. Even though my brother and I share the same last name, I am my own person.

Thanks to this program and for all who support me, I can proudly say, “I am a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Cadet, and I proudly attend the Texas ChalleNGe Academy.”