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My name is George Cazares Jr.
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I'm 43 years old.
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This is my second year at Ventura College
and I am studying psychology.
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When I was younger, I grew up in a good
home, had good parents, went to school,
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played baseball, got it.
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Tri-Valley MVP and everything was good
until I became a senior.
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Started going out with friends.
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Got invited to parties, started drinking
and started using a little bit.
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And that was the beginning of my downfall.
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After that, it was 13 long years of
just drinking and using drugs.
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Went to jail a couple times.
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The drugs and the alcohol
just really had a hold on me.
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I wanted to be a better dad, a better
friend, a better brother and a better son.
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I knew that God was the only way.
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Giving my life over to him and trust
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him turned out to be the best decision
in my life.
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After I got clean and sober,
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there was so many people
that helped me out
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just pushing me in the right direction
and kept me there.
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I went back into school
because I wanted a better life
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for not only myself,
but my daughters as well.
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The VC promise and the VC Foundation
made it possible for Eleanor to request
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Phoenix
scholarship. Really changed my life.
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It came at the perfect time
when I lost my home, when I lost my job,
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and that helped me to not worry or stress
or be burdened over
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the fact that I had to pay rent,
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or that I didn't even have money
at the time to pay for my kids to eat.
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Not only did I receive one scholarship,
but I received the second one.
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There was a Bob
Gautier family scholarship.
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This one is going to help me
go to university.
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While I've been through college,
I've earned straight A's
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and I'm also on the Dean's Honor list.
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I'm currently
working for a real school district
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and a department called Literacy
Support Team.
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We help the students with their reading.
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I go to work every day knowing that
I'm going to help better the future.
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Today I'm 12 years clean and in college.
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I got a good relationship
with my daughters,
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and I'm looking forward
to going to university
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and studying psychology,
because I want to learn about
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why people do the things they do.
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Without the VCC foundation, I would never
have thought of going to university.
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I am beyond grateful
for the donors of the VC Foundation.
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They have changed my life forever.
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Not only does it change my life,
but it changes the futures of my
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of my kids
and my daughters and their kids as well.
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So I look at this
as a generational blessing
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because of the support
of the VC Foundation.
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I know I'm on the right
path and I have a secure future.
