When Maria entered the Damamli program in April of 2006, she was excited about this program and what the future might hold. She had recently been kicked out of her foster home for fighting with the other foster child and later bounced from foster home to foster home due to her non-compliance with the household rules and incidents of being AWOL (absent without leave). In spite of this, Maria was an honor roll student that didn’t allow her pregnancy to get her off track.

Maria came into the program with an explosive attitude. She usually yelled and cursed when she got upset and often ran away. She suffered from depression due to her mother’s abandonment, and later her grandparents telling her she had to leave the home because of her pregnancy. Maria was sure that no one cared for her and that the system wasn’t going to help her either.

As Maria’s stay in the Damamli program progressed, some of her “old” behaviors became more and more evident. She started to become defiant again, going AWOL, not completing household chores or following the rules, and her grades started to suffer. Maria seemed to always revert to her old ways when she was frustrated and/or got into arguments with her boyfriend. Because of her defiance in the foster home, Maria was asked to be removed from her foster home and placed elsewhere immediately.

Maria admitted that she needed to get things “right” this time and agreed that she needed to put herself and newborn son first. She had to take two classes in summer school to make up for her poor grades and eventually obtained her high school diploma in July 2006, with plans to attend school for a degree in nursing. In her new foster home, Maria finalized daycare, opened a savings account and enrolled in a vocational program that would certify her as a medical assistant. It hasn’t been easy but Maria has been consistently attending school, completing all assignments, taking very good care of her son and working towards having a good relationship with her new foster parent. She has been appropriately communicating her feelings and has even agreed to try therapy again. Maria continues to progress well in the program.