Getting Back on Course: “It’s about time” friends and family cheered during drive by high school graduation

During the time she was in and out of Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, CA for stolen property and drugs, Roshanda “Shanda” Howard would reflect on her teenage years in which she dropped out of high school in the 11th grade and fled her family to head for Michigan.

“I always wanted to make something out of my life, but some stupid decisions I made would always stop me,” says the Oakland, CA resident.

Fast-forward to this August, when Howard, 42, decked out in a cap and gown holding a bouquet of balloons, stood on her driveway with her four kids and her mother at her side, as a parade of teachers from Five Keys Schools and Programs drove cheering, honking their horns and playing the Pomp and Circumstance graduation walking march, to celebrate her major milestone: graduating from high school.

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“I had my mindset on this, this time,” says Howard, who just a week after her graduation was hired by a San Francisco private security firm to patrol building sites on the overnight shift. “It feels so good to finally finish. It’s been a long journey and I wanted to quit many times.”

Howard says she was especially motivated in 2018 when her daughter, Armani Nicole, now 20, graduated from high school. At the same time, one of her friends graduated from the Five Keys program. “What other motivation did I need,” she says.

“I’m so grateful to my teacher, Miss Michelle, because so many times I wanted to quit,” says Howard. “But she would call and say, ‘Are you coming in today?’ She always just kept telling me she knew I could do it.”

A single mom, recently out of jail and struggling to make a living, Howard says there were many times “I just thought, I can’t do this.”

Following her jail time, Howard regained custody of her four children through the Maximizing Opportunities for Mothers to Succeed (M.O.M.S.) program at the Santa Rita jail, whose mission is to promote family reunification and the healthy development of children by increasing the capacity of their mothers for self-sufficiency and parent-child bonding. After enrolling in Five Keys in 2018, she persevered through distance learning, taking rigorous courses including Algebra I.

For Howard and others who were formerly incarcerated, the Five Keys program cuts the recidivism rate by 30 percent, compared to statewide averages of 65 percent. Unfortunately, without programs like Five Keys, many people in jails rarely get the chance to make up for the educational opportunities from which they have been excluded — opportunities that impact their chances of reentry success.

Today, Howard proudly displays her diploma next to her daughters on a table in their front living room. She feels it sends a strong signal to her other three children, Desjon, 23, Ojeda, 16, and Kendall Reye, 5, to get their high school degree. In addition to the drive by graduation her family has thrown her two parties to celebrate this summer. And, especially meaningful to her was a phone call from her sister with whom she has been estranged from for a long time. “My sister called to say, ‘it’s about time.’ That meant a lot to me.” 

Now employed, Howard has her eye on continuing her education and becoming a probation officer for young people.

“Every time I walk in my living room and see my diploma, I look at it and ask myself what’s next,” she says. “But now I know I can accomplish what that will be. I have learned to stay calm and work hard and that I can succeed.”

Getting to the Finish Line: A decades long marathon near mile 18 for Five Keys student

For Jennifer Clark, school this fall feels like the 19th mile in a marathon. She is so close to the 26-mile finish line, but algebra, physical science and her own fears are threatening to trip her.

“This is really, really hard,” says the Novato resident. “But I’ve got to do it, I’ve got to show my kids that I can be more than just someone who had a lot of babies.”

There is no doubt that training/studying for her high school diploma has been beyond challenging at times.

Now 45, Clark dropped out high school her freshman year when she became pregnant with her first of eight children. The next few decades were not that kind. She’s struggled with debilitating depression and fought to survive through abusive relationships with one of her two husbands, and several of her children’s fathers. Clark was sent to jail for a week for fighting back during a domestic violence dispute — an incident that cost her her job as a certified nursing assistant at a home for the elderly and marred her record, making finding employment difficult.

But on June 10, 2019 exactly, a Five Keys Schools and Programs graduate told Clark about the program and she enrolled right away. Now, just 36.75 credits from achieving her high school graduation, she is determined to “hold my head high and skip across the stage,” to receive her high school diploma.

She attributes that feat to the compassion and coaching of her teacher, Mrs. Carla, at the Vallejo Five Keys location and the school’s principal, Ms. Rachel.

“My speech is going to be about one true teacher that has held it down and helped me and never ever given up on me,” says Clark. “And believe me, I’m a pain in the butt.”

She also is grateful for the patience and flexibility Mrs. Carla gave her in the classroom.

“Many times, I was so depressed and just wanted to give up, but she stood by my side and kept saying, ‘you can do this. You can’t let your dreams die.”

During her Five Keys schooling, Jennifer was given a certificate of graduation in 2017 by the Novato police department as a peer support substance abuse counselor, a role she says falls near and dear to her heart because her sister struggled with substance abuse and she is eager to help others.

These days, Clark says she hunkers down all day long every day studying for her degree online.

Throughout it all, she says she always kept her eye on the prize, her eight children — Anna Maria, 29, Rafael, 27, Rolando, 25, Miguel, 22, Rudy, 20, Samuel, 12, Hannah, 11, Jennifer, 9, and grandson, Gordo. Two of her youngest children are special needs, so she says she is a full-time mom and student. Any time she feels like quitting, she thinks of her family.

Clark says she knows how happy she will feel when she finishes. “I’m already thinking ahead to taking some college classes,” she says. “I want to do something in law enforcement. I really like helping people, especially when they are in trouble and need help. I still can’t believe I’ll be 45 when I finish high school. But hey, I finally am going to do it.”