Photo By Capt. Emerson Marcus | The recipient of this semester’s Battle Born Youth ChalleNGe Academy’s...... read more read more
The recipient of this semester’s Battle Born Youth ChalleNGe Academy’s Director’s Award for Excellence, Ayla Lain, came very close to never seeing her academic potential blossom. Abandoned by her parents at birth, the former student at Del Sol Academy in Las Vegas attempted to take her own life during her junior year.
Stemming from multiple medical issues, the 17-year-old Las Vegas native struggled with depression and eventually entered a treatment facility after her suicide attempt.
“I was going down a very bad path,” said Lain, who graduated from the National Guard-sponsored program last week. “I didn’t have any tools (to overcome these challenges). I was very depressed, even suicidal.”
Dr. Andre Ponder, the BBYCA director, said Lain distinguished herself among this spring’s large class of 45 students to receive his Director’s Award for Excellence.
“Cadet Lain displayed the most personal growth this semester despite all of the barriers she had to overcome during her journey to self-improvement,” Ponder said.
Lain was one of the 45 cadets – the second-largest class in BBYCA history – to walk the stage June 14 at the Elko High School Performing Arts Building in Elko and graduate from the academy that was established in 2021.
Located in Carlin, Nev., at the previous Nevada Army Guard Elko County Readiness Center, BBYCA includes a five-month, in-residence phase of instruction followed by a year-long mentoring relationship with trained mentors from the respective cadet’s local community. The overarching goals of BBYCA are to either award a high school diploma from BBYCA or help a cadet return to their local high school and graduate on time with their hometown high school class. The residential portion of BBYCA includes physical training and community service in addition to academics.
Funded by federal and state coffers, the Spring 2024 class was the fifth cycle of cadets to compete the course of instruction since the inception of the academy in 2021. The average enrollment for the first four cycles was 41.75 cadets and the average graduation rate was 31.5 cadets, according to BBYCA records. BBYCA enrollment promises to grow with about 80 applicants for the upcoming fall semester.
For Lain, the program proved transformational.
After attempting to take her own life, Lain spent five months in a mental health treatment facility before deciding to enroll in BBYCA. Her grandmother and guardian, Jo DePasquale, first heard of the Nevada Guard’s BBYCA during a conversation with a friend.
“It was a miracle,” DePasquale said. “We had for the most part given up on each other. The first couple of weeks were a horror story and then suddenly it clicked and the academy made her feel there was purpose to her existence.”
Lain admitted getting accustomed to the quasi-military aspects of BBYCA — early wake-up calls and high-decibel commands from the academy’s cadre during the initial two-week acclimation phase — posed a challenge.
“It was hard at first,” Lain said. “I was not used to the military structure. During the acclimation phase, I yelled back when they yelled at me. Then, one day, I was shocked, I just started to embrace it.”
Later, a counselor at the program asked Lain to work with two cadets who were struggling. According to her grandmother, at that moment, Lain began to thrive with the added responsibility.
“She really became a leader during the program,” said Jackson Miller, a BBYCA school counselor. “That was what impressed me about her, especially considering where she came from immediately before us.”
Eventually, Lain was named her company’s first sergeant and she oversaw the entire class of cadets.
She also doubled her total of high school credits during her stay at BBYCA and is on pace to graduate next year from Delta Online Academy.
“She really has had a lot of things to overcome throughout her life,” DePasquale said. “After she wound up in the hospital, I said, ‘God help me.’ And Battle Born Youth ChalleNGe Academy came along. I think it is a miraculous program for any child who wants to embrace it and Ayla embraced it.”
Across the nation, there are 40 youth academies operating under the auspice of the National Guard in 31 states.
Potential cadets at BBYCA must:
- Apply voluntarily
- Be 16-18 years of age
- Be behind in academic credits
- Be a citizen or legal resident of the United States
- Be unemployed or underemployed
- Be willing to be drug-free
- Not be on parole or probation for nor indicted or charged with a felony; not convicted of a felony offense or any offense that would be a felony if charged as an adult
- Be physically and mentally capable of completing the program with reasonable accommodations for physical or other handicaps.
Eligible youth must apply, attend a program presentation, and participate in an interview before being considered for acceptance into BBYCA.
For information, visit www.battlebornyouthchallenge.org.
| Date Taken: | 06.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.24.2024 14:28 |
| Story ID: | 474693 |
| Location: | CARLIN, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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