Student profile: Ally

Born in Kansas, Ally was only with her bio mom for nine months. Because the living conditions were far from ideal, Ally’s aunt from California came and removed her from the squalor. (We will refer to Ally’s aunt now as “mom.”) Back in California, Ally had a year with her new parents before her parents divorced. This left Ally’s mother in the lurch with a toddler to care and provide for.

In first grade, Ally was diagnosed with ADHD. “I had to take at least seven different meds before they found one that worked….But I was always tired and had no appetite.”

“Being diagnosed with ADHD marked a lot of the rest of my life. It affected what classes I was in and the friends I had. It affected my mood - I was in a never-ending cycle of anxiety and depression. I was too tired to complete a task.”

Ally was consistently placed in special education classes when they were offered. These classes were intended for a wide range of disabilities and were not able to cater to the needs of each individual student. “We wanted to feel like we could do things,” says Ally. The classes felt restrictive without the amount of support required for students like her.

Being left-handed, Ally had a hard time with writing. She would put down one-word answers on assignments, and essay submissions were a few sentences at most. She put off her schoolwork because it felt like such a monumental task. Eventually, her IEP stated that she was no longer expected to do homework. “I didn’t care about school - no one was genuinely trying to help me anymore.”

Without homework to complete, Ally filled her evenings playing video games. When she entered high school, she began associating with the wrong crowd. She would find herself caught up in situations wondering, “What is happening with my life? How did I get into this situation?”

Ally got in a fender bender her junior year and sustained back injuries from the crash. Naps became increasingly frequent after school, and Ally would oftentimes sleep through dinner. Before she graduated high school, Ally and her mom had dinner with friends of the Ranch in Chico who shared about Christian Encounter. Begrudgingly Ally came for a tour, but she had no intention of returning.

Ally took her first stab at independence in Georgia. It was a year before she returned home after being unable to find suitable employment. At this time, her mom once again put the Ranch back on the table. Ally complied.

Ally recalls the difficulty of being a new face in a new place. But she warmed up rather quickly to a student named JJ. His warm demeanor and his kindness were inviting and friendship was built quickly. Unfortunately, Ally only had a few months with JJ before he finished the program. She couldn’t contain her tears when he departed, and only then did she realize how much he had meant to her.

A big crack in Ally’s foundation growing up was not having a father. After her mom’s husband had left when Ally was two, she would continue visiting him until she was 14. “Then I realized I was the one initiating, and he wasn’t pursuing me, so I stopped visiting.” At the Ranch, Ally struggled to watch the young children at church on Sundays running around so carefree. They had fathers - and that was just normal to them. But Ally knew it wasn’t a given for everyone.

When it was time for the Girls’ Igloo Trip, Ally balked at each task given her. However, with the support and encouragement of those around her, she was able to learn new skills and help the team build the igloo. “I learned that even when I say I can’t, I probably can. But my thoughts are stopping me.”

As Ally tested her limits, she began to grow in confidence. Her relationships were strengthening, and her counselor had become like a father figure to her. In June, Ally was given an award in recognition of her efforts in the program. When August rolled around, the 15-day backpacking trip proved to be her biggest challenge yet. The uneven terrain was terrifying to Ally. Knowing which rocks were safe to step on took patience and experience. As the trip went on, Ally became more sure-footed and was more comfortable asking for help. She was even able to help other teammates.

Ally has grown in fortitude and become more resilient in the face of adversity during her time at the Ranch. “I’ve been making a lot of adult choices, which I never would have made had I not come here. I never thought the Ranch would hold such a great part in helping me grow and mature.”