S1: In the Imperial Valley. People hear stories fast. They hear when someone gets in trouble. It's a small town , but things could end up on the news they hear when someone runs away. They even hear about when someone ends up in juvenile hall. What people don't always hear about is what happens before that will lead to those actions. They don't hear about the little girl who felt alone in school. They don't hear about ADHD , behavior , struggles , family arguments , or the pressure of trying to belong. Today's episode is going to be personal. This story is about my younger sister , Maria. It's a story about growing up , misunderstood. Falling into the wrong crowd. Entering the juvenile system and trying to find a way back home. But this is not just a story about mistakes. It's about family support and a mother who kept advocating and about a young person who is still writing her story today. This is voices del Valle. To understand Maria's story , we have to start before juvenile hall , before probation , and before people started labeling her. We start with how she remembers her childhood. I have a couple of questions for you , Mariah. But my first question would be how would you describe yourself and your childhood in three words.
S2: I would describe myself and my childhood in three words with crazy , lonely , and disassociating. Because the the reason why is because growing up I would run away from the schools , run away from the classes. I would go to sleep in class because I didn't find it interesting or anything , and I would have no friends , maybe someone to talk to? Nobody. But. Um. I didn't really have a friend. And and growing up.
S1: But Mariah wasn't the only one experiencing those years. My mom was also trying to understand what was happening and how to help.
S3: Raising my daughter that was diagnosed with ADHD was very hard to do during her elementary years , especially because I didn't have all the resources and support I now have. And also because her siblings that are about 1 or 2 years apart , they're all very close in age. So therefore they all went to the same elementary school Where , um , my youngest was always , uh , getting in trouble , getting called into the office , getting kicked out of school due to a negative behavior. Um , not following playground rules. So that did kind of make her an outcast during her elementary years with her peers , which kind of caused , um , her to have not so many friends. You could say. Um , and her only friends at school were her. Um , fortunately , her brother and sister that were always , always there to help her out and to let me know what was going on. They were very always aware of of situations.
S1: For Maria middle school was when things really started changing. It wasn't just a new school , it was the beginning of a different version of her life.
S2: Um , going into middle school was a big change for me because that's when everything had started. And which when I mean everything , I mean my behavior acting out , um , doing things I'm not supposed to do and just. Being bad and all that , and I would. I would , um. I would get into fights. I would get into verbal , physical fights with students , and I would get into verbal fights with teachers in middle school.
S1: From the outside , it may have looked like Mariah was just making bad choices , but my mom saw something else too. A girl trying to find herself and finally feel accepted.
S3: Once Mariah reached a certain age , to be specific , junior high , she kind of was thrown in to junior high. What I mean by thrown in is , um , she became she started to make a lot of friends. And that I saw was very overwhelming. But at the same time she was loving it. It kind of affected her in a way that it all came so fast that she kind of had to find herself through these friend groups , uh , being younger in elementary with ADHD. Um , like I mentioned before , she was like an outcast. Nobody wanted to be her friend due to her outbursts and then be scared of her just running or who knows , you know? Uh , but once she was in junior high , she was a little bit more mature , able to , you know , kind of socialize. Um , that's when she , uh , started making friends , like I said. And , um , so therefore she started kind of navigating her herself , her personality. And I could see her Going from , um. What would you call it? Um , going from , like , being , um , um , like , very aesthetic to being girly to being sporty to being. It's like she was trying out all these different personalities , I would say , because trying to find herself and , um , unfortunately , she ended up with the wrong crowd. Um , uh , it was a crowd that kind of welcomed her and , um , told her , I guess , what she wanted to hear. And unfortunately , she just stuck to that crowd. Right.
S1: By high school , things had escalated. What started as coming home late turned into disappearing for days and sometimes even longer.
S3: Um , so when she entered high school , she continued having these , uh , gang affiliated friends. And , uh , once in her sophomore year , she. This is when she began running away from home. Um , at first , it was just coming home late. It was , um. Where are you at? Turn on your location. And then it kind of escalated into. She's missing one day. She's missing two days. And then it continued. Until I did lose her about for two weeks. But she was out there , out and about , and I kind of searched and searched , and , um , I knew she was wandering around El Centro , the Valley , actually. Calexico. Um. Who? Who? Who knows where else , but I would kind of call her friends and be like , have you heard of her? Like , I just want to know she's okay. And. I don't I don't understand , but I , I want to believe she was going through this psychotic phase at that time where she was just. In this phase where she she just wasn't coming home. We did all we had to do on our part as parents such as , you know , uh , reported to authorities , social workers , um , her school , uh , we would look for her , but , yeah , this was until she decided I'd come back home.
S1: Now we hear Maria's side , which she says was happening at home , at school , and inside herself.
S2: It was situations at home and the crowd I was hanging out with. Situation at home , just arguing with mom , getting into verbal fights and just not having a good relationship with my parents or anything. And. And I wasn't hanging out with the right crowd or people. I would run away from home. I would run away from school , I , I would run away everywhere. Every chance I got , I would run away because I didn't want to be there. And I don't know why , but I just didn't want to listen or anything.
S1: Eventually , the running away and the fighting led to juvenile hall. For some people , this is where they judge the story. But for Mariah , this is one part of a much bigger cycle.
S2: What led to me going into juvenile hall , which is fighting physically and just not being home , and I guess they had enough and sent me to juvenile hall. I got press charges and I got sent to juvenile hall , and then , um. I was in there for a month and I got out on ankle monitor , and that's when I started my probation. September. All the way to November 4th.
S1: For my mom. Juvenile hall brought a painful kind of relief. Not because she wanted Mariah there , because she knew where she was.
S3: And , uh , she continued doing this , um , time after time until one time she , um , gained some charges. So due to these charges that Mariah got on her , um , she was taking her to juvenile hall. I want to say , as a mom that I don't know how this sounds , but it was kind of a relief at that moment because I knew where she was going to be at. I knew she wasn't going to be out on the street. I knew she was going to be fed. I knew she was going to have a bed , and I knew she couldn't leave that place , and her behaviors were already so over the top that we would lose her for weeks. So when she went and drew on her for the first time , um , I kind of felt at ease , you know? Um , kind of knowing she was going to be okay for that moment , I guess for that time.
S1: Being inside changed how Mariah thought about freedom. Even simple things like daylight.
S2: Value your time outside.
S1: And why is. That?
S2: That? Because once you're in there , you can't see the daylight only for an hour. And maybe sometimes you can't even see the daylight.
S1: But change didn't happen immediately. Mariah went back more than once , and each time the consequences became even heavier. And was that , um , the only time you've been in there or.
S2: I've been. I've been in there three other times.
S1: Three other times. Okay. And what what led to those other times?
S2: If you those other times , I violated I violated my probation.
S1: And how did you violate the probation?
S2: I ran away. I. Did some things. I can't say.
S1: My mom saw how the psycho affected Mariah socially. The people who once accepted her started pulling away.
S3: Um , a lot of people turned their backs on her , like her really close friends. And I totally understand that because , I mean , as a mom , you don't want somebody hanging out with your daughter that's in and out of jail , right? So I did kind of try to guide her through that and let her know , hey , you continue this. These moms are not going to allow you in their house anymore. And she had to learn the hard way. Unfortunately.
S1: Even when Mariah came home , things were not automatically fixed. Being home while still under supervision came with pressure , arguments and the fear of going back. What was it like being on house arrest? Um , how does it feel to be home but still under supervision supervision of the system?
S2: It felt horrible. I only lasted two days.
S1: And what do you mean by you only lasted two days?
S2: I was on house arrest for two days and got sent back to juvenile hall the next day.
S1: And why? Why was it so hard for you to stay home? What? What about being home was so bad that made you want to leave and violate your probation?
S2: Just arguing with my parents.
S1: What would you. Why would you argue with them? What would you argue about?
S2: About juvenile hall.
S1: Why was that so triggering? To the point that you went back into the juvenile hall system Because.
S2: I try to prove them wrong and I proved them right.
S1: And even during the hardest times , my family still missed her. The house felt different without Mariah in it.
S3: And we knew that she was going to be okay in there , but at the same time , we really missed her. Um , here at home , we missed her jokes. It was a little lonely without her. And , um , we we did kind of have a missing piece of the family here , and it was very sad , very sad days. But at the same time , we knew this was going to help her grow and be better. Sure.
S1: Sure. Yes.
S3: Ten four.
S1: The turning point wasn't punishment , it was support my mom kept advocating until Mariah finally got the help , medication and school environment she needed.
S3: So about her fifth time back in juvenile hall , I mean , she came out and , um , so like I said , um , we had all the resources and support that I thought we needed , but unfortunately , um , the medication that she was provided with , um , wasn't having any effect on her anymore. And so I had I found myself having to advocate for my daughter , um , to this whole entire organization , um , and kind of advocate and say , hey , like , this is what's going on. I know my daughter and this is what she needs. And they were like , no , we're going to give her this medication. And I kept kind of pushing for the same medication she would take during her , um , elementary years. And they were just no , no , no. So what I did is I had to change organizations. So we went to another , um , behavioral health , um , organization that kind of was very welcoming , very supportive. And they put her on the correct medication , correct dosage. And since then , um , we she has been , um , a total of 360. Uh , she worked. She's more. At peace. I could see her , um , kind of To prioritizing school , her future , and less of her friends. And for that , I am very thankful for , and I'm grateful that we finally got the right support that she needed through many IEPs that were horrible. I mean , tears during IEPs. Um , you know , your daughter's like not behaving. And for me to hear about 20 people at once telling me , my daughter , my daughter , this is my daughter , that. But at the same time , nobody knows. None of these people knew my daughter. No , none of them understood her. Nobody knew her history. And I'm the only one there advocating for her. So we got her to a new school , new medication , and thank God , right now she is. I am very. I've been always proud of her. But right now I am super proud. Um. I'm happy. I'm at peace. She. She's home. Um. She's trying to do good. Good. She's cheering for her sister to graduate , and , um , her older sister is being a great example , um , for her. And so I'm very thankful for that.
S1: Um , Mariah's story is not simple. It's not just about bad choices. It's not just about juvenile hall. And it's not just about ADHD. It's about what happens when a kid feels misunderstood for years. It's about family trying to survive the hardest seasons , and it's about how support can change a life. Mariah is still growing. She still learning , still finding herself. But now there is hope. And maybe that's the most important part of this story. This has been voices in my.
S4: System , where I was hosted by Angelina Echevarria. Supporting guests. Patty Paradis. Maria Echevarria. Edited and produced by Doctor Thomas Starkey. Episode music by Spartan Sound Productions. Credits. Music by Emmanuel Smiley. Technical and operational support provided by KPBS. Technical producer sound designer Adrian Villalobos , KPBS audio operations assistant Rebecca Chacon , and KPBS Director of audio Programming and Operations Lisa Jane Morrison. This programming is partially made possible in part by the KPBS Explore Content Fund.
