Hi, my name is Brian Io'kepa Seda
I am a 2001 graduate of the California Grizzly Youth Academy, cycle six, platoon four, "Rakasans." I want to tell you what an honor it was to go through Grizzly Youth Academy and what it brought to my life. At time it was hard and people got discouraged but at the end it's was another route towards your future. I have a lot to thank this Academy for. I thank the Cadre for keeping me in line and pushing me through obstacles, which I would have never attempted if they were not there. I want to give thanks to all of the teaching staff that made me a believer in myself. Without them pushing me I would of never have gained the confidence to complete school. And last but not least, all of the office staff for making my options possible to achieve my goals in life. Okay, now that I'm done thanking every one, I just want to let people and future Cadets know how low I was and how I'm a different man after going through the Grizzly Youth Academy.
I was raised in a huge family on welfare. My parents were always laid off and just not caring about life. I was raise around lots of drugs and alcohol through out my childhood. We lived in shelters and one bedroom apartments because of physical abuse and the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Because of the life style I lived I thought that was the way of life. I started to run the streets, very proudly selling and doing drugs and trying to stay alive and just live life day to day because that's how the family was doing things. I was so lost I didn't even know who was real and who wasn't. I started to turn on my own family and friends, just hurting the ones I loved the most or at lease the ones I thought I loved. Then at the age of fifteen I lost the most important thing in my life, my grandmother. It was hard to deal with. I couldn't think of any thing but taking my life. I started to get into bigger drugs and gangs and thought nothing about life but being some punk that was going to hurt everyone.
School at that time was nothing to me. I don't know how they kept passing me because most of my grades in high school were F's with a grade point average of 0.8 to 1.2 and even as low as 0.3. By the time I arrived at Grizzly Youth Academy I was two years behind in credits. I was at seventh grade level and still thought I was "The Man." Believe me, my attitude was sharpen up quickly once life appeared to be bigger and scarier than myself. I was just another boy with a bad attitude to these military men and I could tell that's what they thought of me. I decided that life was to short and I had to do something for my self and stop being like the people in my life. I then decided to take all that the academy had to offer which was more then I expected. Every one yelling and pushing me through it, I couldn't do any thing but move forward. I learned more in those six months then I ever learned in my life before it. I once again had a chance towards the life I was given at birth.
I graduated in June from the Academy and I went back to high school and found out it was harder for me being around the wrong crowd and the same influence I had before. I was stuck again until I realized that I'd had it harder at the Academy than outside. This gave me the strength to move forward and leave all of bad influences behind. It took me a long time to finish high school but I can finally say I did it! I'm now pursuing a career as a Solano County Sheriff. I can't believe it myself, it's more then a dream come true. I couldn't be happier to give the thanks and credit to the Grizzly Youth Academy for turning me into a fine man. I will never forget all of those people who trusted me and gave me nothing but their trust and believed in me and for that I send a big THANK YOU to the Grizzly Youth Academy at Camp San Luis Obispo, California.
Take care and keep up the good work and thank you for always being there for me.
Sincerely,
Brian Io'kepa Seda
Forth Platoon 2001