Perhaps Joye Henrie's classmates in Arkansas Youth ChalleNGe's Class 2 (1994) saw a glimpse of the future when they voted her "Most likely to return to YCP as as staff member." While she hasn't done exactly that, her commitment to influencing the lives of high-risk youth has brought her back to Arkansas to pursue a doctoral degree in psychology, with a focus on youth issues.
Joye turned to Arkansas Youth ChalleNGe at seventeen, when her school truancy brought her face-to-face with the court system. "i grew up in a poor family, "explains Henrie. "I had experienced problems in life. I had lived in foster care and after being reunited with my mother, the problems in my life seemed unmanageable and I was going to school less and less regularly. I decided to drop out. My family's income level had made me believe that education wasn't important and that college wasn't' an option for someone like me. i thought I would be lucky if I could get a Job in a factory or something. i stopped going to school and eventually ended up in the courts with the option to go to juvenile detention or go to ChalleNGe."
Joye chose ChalleNGe. It was a new lifestyle to adjust to. So difficult to adjust to, that she considered running away. "When you live with people in this setting, you tend to get close very fast, whether you like it or not. When I was struggling and talked about running away, the other girls in my group stopped me. When our roles were reversed and they had hard days and talked about leaving or quitting, I played a role in getting them to stay. We supported each other until it finally started to feel like home."
ChalleNGe, Henrie says, gave her time to reflect. "It was a reprieve. It took me out of my situation at home and allowed me to see things in a new way. I began to realize that there wasn't anything in my past life that was doing anything for me. I needed a new plan."
After she graduated from ChalleNGe with her GED, she moved to Utah and turned the page. ""I lived with a friend for a few years, worked, got married and had a child. When I was twenty-three and had enough experience in life outside the context of my childhood, I realized that I could go to college. It wasn't' just for rich kids or for kids who made all A's in high school. I found our about loans and grants and enrolled full time." Joye earned two bachelor's' degrees-one in psychology, one in sociology-and has earned numerous scholarships, awards, and memberships in academic honors societies. She has returned to Arkansas to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology, with a focus on children's' issues. Joye is one of less than 6 percent of applicants accepted to the exclusive program-and has been awarded an annual fellowship of nearly $20,000.
Her commitment to youth issues extends well-beyond her academic pursuits. Joye has served as a foster parent to fourteen children. Her experience in the foster system and in ChalleNGe emphasized her potential and helped to nurture her current belief that all young people need and deserve adults in their lives who are committed to seeing something good in them. "My counselor at ChalleNGe was one of the first people in my life who was so encouraging and supportive. He managed to make me feel like I stood out somehow. It made such a difference. It made me feel like I didn't' want to let him down. I wanted his belief that I was special and that I could do great things to come true. go to top