Malcolm’s Story
Malcolm is 24 years old and has been on his own since he was 16. He dropped out of school at the beginning of his junior year, and ran away from his foster home. He was placed in a foster home when he was 12 because his mother died of cancer and his father was in prison. He left his foster home because of abuse he experienced over two years at the hands of his foster mother’s brother who had moved into the apartment next door. He did not to tell his foster parents because he thought that no one would believe him. Plus, he felt ashamed and afraid. This abuse made him feel worthless.
He moved in with a school buddy whose mom, Helen, was using and selling drugs to help pay for her habit. She told Malcolm he could stay, but he needed to pay his own way giving her $200 a week. He got a part-time job at a party store making about $160 a week before taxes. But, he needed more money than that to stay with his friend. Helen introduced him to her dealer who allowed him to sell drugs at places where the high school kids hung out.
Malcolm became a successful dealer, and began to use drugs himself. After about six months, the dealer Malcolm was working for was sent to prison for five years, so Malcolm took over the entire area. He made a lot of money and moved into his own apartment when he was 18. To get more buyers, he began hosting parties at a warehouse just three blocks from the high school. By the time he was 20, he had begun to feel he could do anything, so he began smoking crack cocaine. He threw himself a big 21st birthday party, which hundreds of young kids from neighboring schools attended. The police broke up the party and arrested Malcolm, charging him with several felonies. He was convicted and sent to prison for two years.
He continued to use any drugs he could get while in prison. When he was released at age 24, he tried to go back to his old neighborhood to deal drugs again. However, his territory had been taken over by a gang. Malcolm had no way to make a living and had no place to live. He stole scrap metal and sold it to get money for drugs. One night a community-based homeless shelter worker and drug counselor found Malcolm asleep in a doorway of a vacant store. The worker took him to the shelter for the night. The next day, the worker convinced him to stay for another night. Although Malcolm was anxious to leave, he liked being warm and talking with the worker, who seemed to understand him. The worker convinced Malcolm to enter the one-year residential program sponsored by the shelter. He is a little afraid of living in a dorm setting with other men due to his past experience with his uncle. He doesn’t want anyone to know about his past. He has a hard time trusting people and believing they really want to help him.
Because Malcolm did not finish high school, the residential recovery program requires him to take General Educational Development (GED) test preparation courses and take the GED test before the year is over. He was an average student in high school where he participated in some extra-curricular activities, including chess and computer club. He really liked working with computers, but it has been eight years since he was in high school. Except for using a cell phone, Malcolm has fallen behind in computer technology, knowing very little about the Internet or Web tools.
He tests at 10th grade reading skills. However, he is really behind in science and math knowledge. Plus, he has a hard time seeing the relevance of subjects like algebra, calculus, and science. He does better when instruction is connected to the real world. He is a little afraid that he is too far behind to succeed. He is willing to try, but he doesn’t want to have anyone know about his past failures. His self-esteem is low due to his family’s background, the abuse he experienced, his drug dealing and use, and his time in prison. He wants to finish the program, obtain his GED, get a job, and work his way through college to become a counselor at a community center that focuses on at-risk kids.