Mission San Jose High School
For many youth, the chore of going to school is a daily routine. But for former Woodrow Wilson High School student Charles, better known as Serge, the idea of school and getting a decent education was not the first thing on his mind. As a matter of fact, it wasn't even the last.
Serge, who has sort of a child-like face, looked and talked like any other teenager around, yet the words that came out of his mouth were definitely not those of the average 18-year-old. Wearing blue jeans, a plain black T-shirt and black tennis shoes, he seemed comfortable and relaxed.
Coming from a broken home, he moved around a lot, staying with different relatives. The place he was the most happy was with his mother, but because she was a recovering alcoholic, it was not always possible for Serge to stay with her. Having been shuffled from place to place, he was forced to take upon the responsibilities of an adult more quickly.
"I love my father, but I don't like him as a person because of the treatment my mother and my other siblings received," Serge said.
School was not his first priority. What was foremost on his mind was staying alive. He left school in the 11th grade.
"I never really liked school and when I was younger I decided that when I was old enough to just say `I don't want to go' and quit, I would," Serge said.
"School was of no importance to me, after the 7th grade, you're just learning the same thing over and over again. School is like a babysitting place or a day care center, not an educational center. School was just a place for me to hang out and associate with my friends," Serge said.
"What I would rather do is educate myself, instead of having some pompous old fool tell me what's wrong and what's right," he said. "I'm a smart person, I decided I didn't need school. I would educate myself."
His parents were dropouts, so they couldn't pressure him to stay in school. He did whatever he needed to do to survive, even if it meant hurting other people. His means of survival ranged from robbery to selling narcotics to even getting a job. Although he has spent time in jail, he has only one regret about dropping out.
"My only regret about leaving school is that I didn't leave earlier."
The blame could possibly be placed on the education system or his parents. But Serge blames no one. He doesn't blame himself, either. People place too much importance on six letters and a little rolled up piece of paper, Serge said.
"I don't want to go back to school, but I do believe that I have to. All I am doing is surviving. If you want to make a success of yourself, you need that high school diploma. You do need that little piece of paper, as bad as I don't want to get it," he said.