Oregon National Guard’s Youth Challenge Program graduates record class of 165 cadets in Redmond
(Update: Adding video,comments from staff, cadets)
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A historic moment in Redmond Wednesday. A quarter-century after the Oregon National Guard established the Oregon Youth Challenge Program in Bend, it celebrated the graduation of its largest class yet, totaling 165 cadets.
The ceremony took place at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds. It was a special time for families, whose teens had dropped out of school or were not on track to graduate.
"I got all the credits I needed," said OYCP graduate Armando Zandofsky. "I'm graduating with a 4.0 time credits, and I'll be going back to high school to graduate on my senior year. I've gained a lot of tools that I don't think I've really been able to get any elsewhere."
Last year 154 cadets graduated - this year, 165.
OYCP graduate Mariah Oliver said, "I think after high school I want to be a firefighter. I will be a wildland firefighter, but I have to go back to school first and then I graduate in June. So we'll just see where it takes me."
Eligible individuals are accepted from all 36 counties in Oregon. Students learn academic, life and job skills, as well as serving the community.
Another OYCP graduate, Anais Ramirez Rodriguez, shared her aspirations: "I will be enlisting in the Navy. So that's why I have my sash right here. I will go back to high school, just because I am a senior, and I wanted to graduate with my friends. So I will be going back and graduating next June and leaving in December to the Navy."
Twenty graduates received high school diplomas, fifteen students took the GED, and others received eight or more credits and will return back to high school.
The Youth Challenge program has two phases, the first being a 22-week residential phase where cadets live on site, focusing on academic instruction. It’s followed by a two-year post-residential phase as the cadets return to their home community to accomplish new goals and objectives.
OYCP Director Frank Tallman said, "A lot of these people, they look at these as bad kids. They're not bad kids. It's just been dealt maybe a bad hand, under-served, under resourced. So we provide that opportunity for them to grow, gain some self-confidence and really see the potential that these kids have to offer."
About 6,000 cadets from across Oregon have graduated from Youth Challenge. It’s one of more than 40 such programs across the country that help at-risk youth earn their high school diploma or an equivalency or recover credits needed to graduate.
The next Oregon Youth Challenge High School class begins on January 8, 2025 and will graduate June 11, 2025.
