When Josh first connected with Buckelew Program’s Transitional Adult Youth (TAY) program at age 18, he was living with his mother but needed and wanted support to work towards independence and creating a future of his own. Reading at a college level since the first grade, Josh grew up enjoying all types of books and developed a talent for writing. His love of the written word was “always a constant” in his life, and helped sustain him during turbulent times.

Early adolescence was a tough road. For a number of years, Josh was placed in group homes that ‘felt like prison.’ His mother took him to see a variety of doctors and psychiatrists who diagnosed him with a number of different mental illnesses. “I was put on meds for years to treat bipolar, Tourette’s, anxiety, etc.,” Josh says.

Just recently, at the age of 21, Josh was re-evaluated and the determination was made that he didn’t have multiple mental illnesses but only one, which was PTSD. “I am aware of my triggers and how to manage my symptoms,” he says. “Today, I am off all medication.”

BP caseworkers connected Josh to counseling and helped him navigate resources in support of his desire to live independently as well as pursue a History degree at the local junior college. A big achievement in support of those goals included learning how to take public transportation, which was an important step towards enrolling in school.

Josh continued to excel, and through BP’s partnership with Social Advocates for Youth (SAY), he made a successful move to living independently at Tamayo Village. Soon after relocating, Josh successfully secured a part-time job, where he has maintained steady employment for the past year.

Josh was accepted at Santa Rosa Junior College, and began classes as a freshman, living independently and successfully navigating transportation to get to and from school. And even though he didn’t feel “good at it,” Josh was enjoying being in community with his peers and interacting with classmates. When the pandemic hit, the transition was abrupt and stressful.

“All of the sudden,” he says, “I was alone again, all the time. It was difficult.” His GPA dropped as a result, but through regular support from his BP caseworkers, his GPA rebounded, and Josh was encouraged to pursue a four-year degree. In early August of 2021, Josh is headed to Columbia, SC, where he will major in African American studies at Allen University.

“Josh has been extremely successful envisioning his future and working with determination,” says case manager Christine. “He uses his good, if sometimes dark, sense of humor to learn new skills and achieve his goals. It has been such a joy to bear witness to this change in Josh and I am so excited for him to start out on this next phase of his life.”

Josh has a goal to ultimately write a “fictional novel based on reality,” and if he had the choice, he would love to intern with Marvel Comics. As he’s preparing to leave for school, Josh is “very excited” about his future.

“Buckelew made my independence possible,” Josh says. “They taught me how to successfully live on my own; manage my money. BP let me learn. BP works. That’s all I can say.”