hi everyone how’s everyone doing well
00:09
good for you because yesterday I got my
00:11
bottom braces so my mouth is very sore
00:17
my name is Katherine cicada or sometimes
00:23
known as cat but today I’m going by
00:25
Katherine because yeah so I will be
00:32
reading my story that’s in pops and it’s
00:36
called
00:36
before they were bars I put my life
00:45
together I am a new person I may not be
00:49
the smartest but I know it’s right for
00:52
me I know my value I know the feeling of
00:57
being alone I know how it feels to have
01:00
your heart broken I know how it feels to
01:03
lose a parent mentally I know the
01:06
feeling of always watching your back
01:09
from every angle I know the feeling of
01:13
being handcuffed being shoved into a cop
01:15
car and being treated like a criminal
01:18
and I’m sick um I know the feeling when
01:25
you feel like when you feel the rush in
01:27
your fist and face but step back because
01:31
you know what you are capable of doing I
01:34
know the feeling of carrying drugs in
01:36
your backpack hoping you won’t get
01:38
caught I know the feeling of having your
01:41
own mother cry and you’re the reason why
01:45
I know the feeling of punching the wall
01:48
I know the feeling of crying at night
01:50
picking yourself up the next day and
01:54
pretending nothing ever happened
01:56
I know the feeling of hoping of hopping
02:00
over the fence fearing either you will
02:02
get your dreams call or will be chased
02:04
down I know the feeling of hitting rock
02:07
bottom I know the feeling of living that
02:09
double life
02:14
growing up with gangs fights drugs
02:17
gunshots living in the projects is
02:19
always risk-taking growing up oh she’s
02:23
like my little sister or not I’m trying
02:25
to hit that you step out that door and
02:28
step into the streets you never know if
02:31
you will make it home that night don’t
02:33
go outside those streets Kathy where are
02:37
you going who is that what’s in your
02:39
backpack what time were you getting home
02:41
you better get your butt home I’m not
02:44
playing with you words my mom would
02:47
always repeat she doesn’t have to do
02:49
that anymore mom I’m sorry but you don’t
02:53
know what I’ve done in those dark ages
02:55
13 and 14 fights and drugs I used to
02:59
come home high I used to hide everything
03:01
from you until the day I got caught this
03:05
is LAPD with your daughter Catherine
03:07
Sakai dance is that the Pacific station
03:10
for assault this is the day my life
03:13
changed at 13 it was time to wake up age
03:18
14
03:19
mom I tried to get myself together and
03:22
you knew that because I cried and cried
03:24
when you asked me what was wrong I
03:26
couldn’t tell you you only knew how my
03:29
dad’s addiction hurt me knowing I could
03:31
be locked up scary to me knowing my
03:33
temper it was dangerous scary to me at
03:36
15 to this day I will never forget the
03:40
like and my mom’s eyes when the words
03:43
came out Catherine secada case dropped
03:45
you’re free to go no juvenile hall time
03:48
no more locked up your dad those words
03:53
shocks my mother but mostly they shocked
03:56
me I don’t want to be locked up or dead
03:58
I’ve stayed in school I’ve been hanging
04:00
out with positive friends mostly my best
04:06
friend Marianas I known I have a
04:09
shoulder to cry on my second mother Dana
04:11
who has watched me overseas
04:20
the real life of being sick I’ve stayed
04:25
in school I’ve been hanging out with
04:28
positive friends I’m mostly my best
04:30
friend Mariana I know I have a shoulder
04:32
to cry on my second mother Dana who has
04:35
watched me over since I was six and
04:38
watching her kids grow up made me feel
04:40
like their big sister and as they get
04:44
older I will be the role model and help
04:46
them out the way their mother helped me
04:48
my 10th grade my tenth grader teacher
04:51
mr. danzeeger who would always ask me
04:54
all these questions to make me to make
04:57
my story feel real Pop’s is my second
04:59
home where I write and listen to other
05:02
people’s stories it is life changing and
05:04
I put my life together it’s never too
05:06
late
05:09
[Applause]
***
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