TESTIMONIALS
Student Testimonials
Hi, my name is Jane and I am 13 years old. I have been at West Ridge Academy for 14
months. It has been a lot of work and there have been a lot of things I have had to overcome and
change, but I have and I was able to graduate and return home permanently in April. My parents
sent me to West Ridge because I was not dealing with my mother's death or her physical abuse
towards me. My dad remarried and I hated my stepmom and didn't want her in my life. I didn't
want my mother replaced by someone else and I didn't want to share her with my dad. I wanted
all of his attention and I felt we were better off without her. I was very angry and disobedient.
Over the past 14 months, I have learned to grieve for my mother, take responsibility and develop
a good relationship with my stepmom and other family members. I am happy and love who I am.
I have a future to look forward to that is bright and full of life.
It was in the tenth grade that I was first introduced to marijuana. Using the drug made me feel good. It made me into someone that I wasn’t. I didn’t have to deal my issues. I pushed my schooling aside and made friends my top priority. I began drinking heavily, every day. I started using harder drugs: meth, cocaine, ecstasy, etc. I seemed to become popular and everyone wanted to be my friend. I overdosed and almost died twice. I ran away and the police ended up tracking me down and arresting me. I was taken to the station where my mom and dad picked me up. I was then placed at West Ridge Academy. Little did I know that the Academy would help me more than I ever thought possible. Overcoming and working on my issues has helped me to understand the importance of why making the right choices is so important and how my choices can impact my future. Living in the light and staying on the right path is so much easier and provides a lot more blessings and opens more doors than accepting the “dark side.”
Hi, my name is John. I came to West Ridge from a program in Michigan. I felt very frightened at that program, had little hope and was very depressed. My mom was in jail somewhere and my dad wanted nothing to do with me since his recent marriage. I was all alone and very down on myself. A family from the area saw my struggles and sent me to West Ridge Academy. Since then, my life has turned around in so many ways. I have graduated from high school, earned my Eagle Scout Award, turned my thoughts from negative to positive, worked and saved over $3000. I am currently learning to drive and have recently joined the Army Reserves and will be training to be a dental assistant with a $20,000 signing bonus. Next year when I turn 19, I will be going on an LDS mission. I appreciate West Ridge for the guidance and support they have given me.
Parent Testimonials
We were at our wits end, our daughter had developed serious behavioral and emotional problems. We could see that she was headed down a self destructive path. We tried all sorts of different things but nothing seemed to reach her. We enrolled her at West Ridge Academy, and after three months we started noticing changes in her. She began cooperating with her therapist, and even started swimming and singing again, which she hadn’t done for years. West Ridge taught her principles and strategies to cope with her problems. At Jenna’s graduation from the program she stated, “When I arrived at West Ridge I was completely lost. Then slowly things got better and better, and now I am happy again. I just got certified as a lifeguard and I’m loving school. I have my days, but when they come, I now understand how to deal with them. Life is good.
Locks on every bedroom door, for me and my family that was the norm. Stealing was just one of Mike’s problems. He also was skipping school and getting D grades. He’d steal at school, and shoplifted to where we had to go to court with him. Mike was adopted at age 6, and was diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder. I was prepared to help him, but things went downhill from the start. He kicked holes in the walls, threw things at us and even reported to the neighbors that we had abused him. He ran away from home and got into some trouble and the police were called. They took him to the detention center where we picked him up and then placed him at West Ridge. During his stay at WRA his grades have improved immensely and he is now on track to graduate. He has developed a healthy work ethic. And best of all, his relationship with us has improved dramatically. We are healing along with Mike. It’s fun to be with him and be together as a family.
“Dead” Louise still remembers the answer vividly. “One of my boys asked John where he thought he be in two years if he kept going down the road he was on,” recalled Louise. “When he was on drugs he didn’t care about anyone-not even himself. I don’t ever remember feeling so scared or helpless.” Actually John was scared too. At 16, he’d already been heavily involved in drugs for three years, and he was willing to do almost anything to change. We enrolled him at West Ridge the next morning. John was raised in a religious home and he told me that there were times he’s prayed and wanted to change his life, but temptations just seemed to overwhelm him and he couldn’t pull himself out alone. “The thing I liked about WR the most was that they always emphasized the spiritual side of life. They taught him that without a moral foundation, life doesn’t work. John graduated and attended college where he studied computer science, and is considering a degree in social work. Thank goodness for WR, it’s so wonderful to have my son back. John and I know that WR saved his life.”
We had a 12 year old youth come to us a victim of abuse, neglect, and poverty. At a very young age Marty witnessed the death of his father at the hands of his mother. She stabbed him in front of Marty and his sister. The trauma of that event changed the course of this young man’s life forever. Sixteen placements later Marty was brought to us. He was, to say the least, out of control. Marty was violent and did not have the ability to bond or love. He trusted no one! Slowly, after a lot o therapy, and consistent care a change stated to occur. A conscience began to develop and deepseated wounds once covered up were exposed and dealt with in a very therapeutic way. What emerged was a fabulous young man. Marty is a straight A student, the starting guard on our basketball team, and he works 35 hours a week at a rest home for the elderly. He’ll graduate in the spring and currently has been in the therapeutic foster care of one of our therapists. Marty has reunited with his adoptive family and is an incredible young man. He plans to serve an LDS mission and attend college upon completion of that mission.
