(SPEECH)
[GENTLE MUSIC]

(DESCRIPTION)
Logo, Otan, Outreach and Technical Assistance Network.

(SPEECH)
SPEAKER: OTAN, Outreach and Technical Assistance Network.

(DESCRIPTION)
Adult Education Students. California Adult Education Students Succeed 2020. Profile picture, Logan Hindle, Charles A. Jones Career and Education Center. C.A.E.S.S. 2020 Honoree.

(SPEECH)
[LIGHTHEARTED MUSIC]

LOGAN HINDLE: My stepdad and my mom got together when I was about five, so it was about then that the verbal abuse began. I always felt like, I was never really good enough no matter what I did, no matter what I was feeling.

(DESCRIPTION)
Childhood foto, Logan with long curly blonde hair.

(SPEECH)
And when I came out as gay, it didn't go over very well.

(DESCRIPTION)
A boy in a baseball cap and earing.

(SPEECH)
Pretty much I had been beaten down emotionally for most of my life. And that's why, by the time I could leave at 13, 14, I left when I did.

(DESCRIPTION)
An older boy gives a peace sign while posing with Spiderman.

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From running away and not being at home and being in group homes, I spent 71 days , my high school freshman year, actually present in school.

(DESCRIPTION)
Text, Angela Hatter, Site Administrator, Charles A. Jones Career and Education Center.

(SPEECH)
ANGELA HATTER: Logan is a very resilient individual. What I learned about his story was that he had a lot of trauma as a child, as a teenager, experiencing homelessness and drug addiction.

LOGAN HINDLE: By 25, I had met the mother of my son and had a talk with her about the way I was feeling, and after two years, I made my first phone call to my therapist and discussed what I needed to do to move forward in transitioning.

(DESCRIPTION)
Logan poses by a motorcycle.

(SPEECH)
I worked as a CNA for approximately 10 years.

I had spoke with my spouse at the time. Hey, I know that you're a medical assistant. What do you think? How do you think I would do with this? Does that seem like something that I would be good at So I started going to the Sacramento Food Bank and testing-- studying and testing for the GED so that I could pass the GED.

So I decided to go back to Charles A. Jones shortly after I had graduated with my GED.

(DESCRIPTION)
Image, Logan smiles in a green scrub.

(SPEECH)
I knew that if I could just get there, like, I would be OK. And I did, and I started school, and everything was going well until three days into class when I came home and my wife had left.

I felt like I just needed to go back to work. If I could just go back to work, then I could support everything, but not wanting to give up on my dream of going back through school.

ANGELA HATTER: All of our programs here, they're not easy programs. Nine months to get a medical assisting certificate is really a short period of time.

PATRICIA BRADSHAW: And he actually was going to quit at one point in the program, and I convinced him not to. So, again, we sat down and we talked.

(DESCRIPTION)
Text, Patricia Bradshaw, Department Head and Instructor, Medical Assistant Program. Charles A. Jones Career and Education Center.

(SPEECH)
After our conversations and learning more about Logan, more things surfaced with him that made me very much aware of what he was going through in his life.

LOGAN HINDLE: And I found a way to do it and still support my son and not lose my house and my home and everything else.

PATRICIA BRADSHAW: And he would come in every single morning way ahead of schedule. He would be there at 7:30 in the morning. And at that time, school started at 8:30. He would be doing drug words on the board in green-- never missed them. And he was so proud of himself. It was really nice to see Logan. His whole spirit, his whole attitude, everything about Logan was changing in class.

LOGAN HINDLE: Even if it was at 43, 44 years old, I finally did it. I set my goals, and I achieved them.

(DESCRIPTION)
Image, Logan holds his diploma flanked by Patricia and Angela.

(SPEECH)
And when Mrs. Bradshaw asked me to come back and speak for the 2020 graduation year, I was honored.

PATRICIA BRADSHAW: He amazed many, many teachers here at Charles A. Jones because of his honesty, his spirit, his determination, and his tenacity.

LOGAN HINDLE: I felt like, working at the urgent care, I had finally found my calling. And it took nine months. I put my life on hold for nine months, and here I am. I received my medical assistance certificate.

PATRICIA BRADSHAW: And he's working, and he loves his job. And he is giving back to patients, and he's learned self-discipline, and he's learned self-worth.

LOGAN HINDLE: I'm very excited for what the future has to hold for me right now.

[UPLIFTING MUSIC]

(DESCRIPTION)
Image, he smiles in nice clothes and dark shiny sunglasses.

Text, Special thanks to Charles A. Jones Career and Education Center. Producer, Anthony Burik. Director, Douglas Rennie. Produced by Otan. ..

www dot otan. dot u.s. 2020.