I was going through a rough period, and sat down with the classroom facilitator. We talked for almost two hours. He gave me a whole new outlook – I realized that I did not have to fight anymore. I knew I could make something of myself.
Jeremiah Osler will celebrate his 21st birthday in the Arab state of Qatar, proudly serving his country. Last year, the 2012 graduate of Garfield Park Academy enlisted with the New Jersey National Guard’s 114th Infantry.
Osler, now 19, said he owes his success to the support, guidance and structure he got at GPA. “They taught me self control and self respect,” said Osler.
Osler was bullied in public school. Explosive and irritable, he was frequently suspended because of his behavior. Eventually, he came to dread school and was failing classes.
“It got to the point that I was ready to swing at anything that moved,” he said. He said he became a target for local law enforcement, who knew him by his first name.
At the end of middle school, his district enrolled him in at Garfield Park Academy. Although it took time to adjust, Osler said that he trusted the staff, even when he was at his most challenging.
Osler recalls a critical turning point. “I was going through a rough period, and sat down with the classroom facilitator. We talked for almost two hours. He gave me a whole new outlook – I realized that I did not have to fight anymore,” said Osler. From there, Osler says he was ready to listen and learn. “I knew I could make something of myself,” he recalled.
Barbara Mang, Social Worker at GPA said Osler was “a great kid,” who really benefitted from the support GPA offered him. “Now that he is in the Army, he has embraced the self-discipline that we were teaching,” she added.
Linda Osler, Jeremiah’s mother could not be more proud. “My son has become a young man, and has overcome so many things,” she said.
“Had we not found Garfield Park Academy, I do not know where he would be,” she added.
While he is waiting for deployment next spring, Osler is working as a bus aid helping students with disabilities, and is employed by the same transportation company that used to take him to and from Garfield Park Academy.
Sometimes, after his shift, he says he gets on the bus he used to ride, and sits where he used to sit, recalling his days at GPA, grateful for the experience he had. “I did not know it at the time, but I am really lucky to have gone to Garfield Park Academy.”
