Second Chances

Author Wes and the Other Wes began on the wrong path in their life. They acted as products of their corrupted environment were drug dealing, alcohol, and violence was the norm. Both at a young age decided to rebel and be another child lost by the streets. Though as they were accepting their wrongful path, they were given a second chance to reflect on themselves and all the damage and pain they have caused to themselves and family.

Fortunately, Author Wes was able to accept his second chance in rewriting his path. Joy was able to give her son, Author Wes, a second chance into becoming a mature and responsible adult by sending him to military school. Military school was a rude awakening for Author Wes to reflect on how his previous actions were not the ideal ones as they only attracted problems. The guilt he carried knowing how much his mother, grandparents, and friends have sacrificed for him to change his character is what motivated him to accept his second chance.  He no longer saw military school as the enemy. Instead, he looked at it as his gateway to a prosperous future. The change in environment allowed him to further acknowledge his true potential as it is seen by him becoming the first African-American Rhodes scholarship recipient and attending John Hopkins University.

             In contrast, the Other Wes Moore also sought to change his life at one point. With a family to support, Wes attended JobCorps and received training as a carpenter. His time at JobCorps was the first time where he endured the support and resources needed for him to see that he was far more than a gang member and drug dealer, he was a “leader”. Being involved in such a working environment, he was able to see a lifestyle where drug dealing and violence was not needed to be successful. "The expectations that others place on us help us form our expectations of ourselves." The Other Wes Moore saw it possible in his time at JobCorps that he can succeed it was just that up to that point in life he has been veiled so far in his life by absence of encouragement and opportunities. Unlike, Author Wes Moore, his mother had set high expectations for him and was determined that he would meet those expectations. Moreover, once the Other Wes had completed the program, however, he could not find long-term employment, and the minimum wage jobs he did find barely paid enough to support his family. The change in environment after JobCorps affected how he saw his future to be as he was surrounded once again with the same crowd that influenced his to start drug dealing. Finding that he could not make enough money to support his family and not be praised by his work as he was in JobCorps, Wes returned to the streets to continue his drug operation rejecting his second chance.

Similarly to Author Wes, I was fortunate to have a family who had high expectations from me and helped me achieve my full potential. During my Sophmore and Junior year of high school, I struggled with my classes. No longer was I seen as a student with a high academic profile as my GPA lowered. My confidence lowered, and I began to give up trying because no longer I saw improvements in my grades by “studying”. Like Other Wes, I gave up and caved to the idea that I was not going to succeed. It was not up to a point where I was failing my classes that I received my second chance. One of the vice-principal was able to convince my teachers to give me a second chance to improve my grades. My parents signed me up for tutoring classes and enforced me to study. By the encouragement of my family and teachers, I was able to surpass this challenge and be back on track. No longer did I make excuses, I was proactive and successfully was able to use my second chance to improve academically and emotionally.