Meet Us Monday profile: Scott

Meet Us Monday: Scott, Peer House Leader

Posted: September 12, 2022 | Author: Real Life Staff

Meet Scott, age 27, one of our Peer House Leaders. Scott grew up in Winchester and had an abusive upbringing. Both parents were heavily into drugs and his father was a drug dealer. Therefore, he lived with his grandparents but started getting in trouble at a young age. Scott was eleven when his uncle (and godfather) who he was very close to was murdered.

Around twelve his family moved to Pittsburgh. He ran away from home a lot and experimented with drugs and alcohol, and fell in with a bad crowd. When he was a freshman in high school, he was arrested for shoplifting, assault and battery, and was expelled from school for fighting and drug use. After his mom moved away, he left school and moved in with his sick dad to take care of him. His older brother passed away when he was 19. Scott started selling and using cocaine. He didn’t care about anything but keeping his dad alive. At the same time, he was not dealing well with his brother’s death. His father died from an overdose and in June of 2021, Scott was arrested.

Scott has a five-year-old son. While in jail this last time he decided he wanted to turn his life around and not end up like his father and other family members. He felt he had lost everything and wanted to change. He didn’t want his son to grow up without a father. He applied to REAL LIFE, was accepted and transferred from jail to the program.

REAL LIFE has given him a second chance at life. It has given him the knowledge, tools and resources to do the right thing. Now he has a support system. He shares that the staff at REAL LIFE is interested in each person in the program and that “the staff is so positive that it makes recovery very positive and much easier.” It has given him so many resources to turn his life around.

Now he has the resources to work on getting his son back in his life. He is now a cook at a restaurant, which he loves, and is earning a good salary.

Scott enjoys being a Peer House Leader. He has a huge heart and likes helping other people. The people in REAL LIFE all support each other and are trying to reach similar goals. Grateful is a big word to him. He is forever grateful to the REAL LIFE Program and the staff for their help in getting him on the path he is on now.

His future plans include having his son in his life by getting his child support started, working on visitation rights and having a better relationship with his son’s mother. He would like to go to Culinary School, become a chef and own his own restaurant. Also, he would like to take his passion of performing as a fire spinner to a more professional level.

Scott is proud of the new Scott and has a newfound confidence he will achieve his goals. He says he owes that to all he has learned in REAL LIFE and the resources they have provided him. Congratulations, Scott! Keep up the great work!

GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM REAL LIFE