BACK BAY HIGH SCHOOL: Happy he changed his mind

Jordan Vison’s life didn’t mesh well with regular high school.

Raised by his single mother, Carla Crawford, Vison moved around a lot.

To help his mother, he had to take on more responsibility than most other children his age.

He had to walk his brother home from school, make sure he was safe and protected, help him with homework and make him dinner at times.

When he was 16, he got a job at Circuit City, and his life became cluttered.

There wasn’t much room for sports or homework, and his family priorities came first.

“I couldn’t invest myself being in school the way these other kids do,” Vison said. “I could never be that kid.”

Eventually, Vison was offered the opportunity to take eight classes at his current high school, Newport Harbor, or go to Back Bay High School. He chose Back Bay.

“Life is not easy, in any sense of the word,” Vison said. “I thought, ‘I can’t believe I have fallen this far from grace.’”

Vison had every intention to work hard and transfer back to Newport Harbor when he had the chance. But when the time came, he looked at what Back Bay had done for him and the person he had become and decided to stay put.

“At Back Bay, they take you on your potential,” Vison said. “At Newport Harbor, I was stressed out with grades and popularity.”

Without the stress Vison had previously, he shone.

He became a student board representative, finished his academics early and has a scholarship he plans to use after attending Irvine Valley College. His goals are to study law or become a teacher.

“Leadership roles [at Back Bay] made me step into myself as a leader,” Vison said.

Formerly troubled student matures, graduates early

When Raven Villafana first started at Back Bay High School, she was a “loner.” She had no friends, kept to herself and had to keep herself motivated. Anxiety consumed her every morning before school.

“You’re not here to make friends,” she would say to herself. “Just get out early.”

Villafana found herself at Back Bay because of the trouble she got herself into at Newport Harbor High School. She ran into problems with other girls and was distracted with her friends.

“Security knew me — put it that way,” Villafana said.

So she was transferred to Back Bay, and things didn’t get much better. Most of the girls she fought with at Newport Harbor were now at Back Bay as well, so she had no friends and was struggling.

But a counselor at Back Bay, Laura Rivas, helped heal wounds and bridge the gap between Villafana and the other girls. Suddenly, Villafana’s life was headed in a new direction.

“I am not that person that I was. I am not proud of that person,” Villafana said. “Laura Rivas made things better with those people. I am glad I went to Back Bay and that happened early. I am glad I matured faster.”

Villafana, 17, graduated early and supports herself while living with her sister, Randi. She has already taken classes at OCC and plans to continue. She is rebuilding her relationship with her mother, who wasn’t around when she was young, and often talks to her dad, a Huntington Beach resident, whom she describes as her best friend.

Her time at Back Bay taught her the appreciation of relationships.

She often volunteered at convalescent homes and made friendships at a school where she started alone.

“At that school, you talk to so many people you wouldn’t think you would talk to,” she said.

SCHOOL STATS

BEST OF CLASS STUDENTS: Pablo Manyer of Back Bay and Caitlin Patton of Monte Vista

CLASS SIZE: Back Bay has 86 and Monte Vista has 68

GRADUATION RATE: [not applicable]

NUMBER OF STUDENTS GOING TO COLLEGE: 60 from Back Bay and 60 from Monte Vista

PROM KING AND QUEEN: Mike Curtis and Chelsea Hanse

HOMECOMING KING AND QUEEN: [not applicable]

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at [email protected].