Former foster kid turns her life around
Deborah Dukes could easily have fallen by the wayside. One of 12 children born to a drug-addicted mother, Dukes was raised in a dozen foster homes. She overcame those obstacles to graduate with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average from Heald College in Roseville recently.
Despite the lack of stability that surrounded most of her life – she says her father has been in prison since she was 5 – Dukes, of Sacramento, resolved to be a success. "They say that half of all foster youth end up in prison," Dukes, 23, said. "They say that half of them end up homeless, and half of them do not attend college. I just had it in my mind to get myself together."
Dukes, a temporary intern with the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance, aspires to be either a probation officer or a counselor for addicts. Her story is truly inspirational, said Guy Adams, president of Roseville Heald College, who was impressed when he first met Dukes at the 650-student campus. "I am aware of her background," Adams said. "In spite of very difficult odds and circumstances, she succeeded."
When he first met Dukes at college orientation in April of 2006, Adams said, she was a "bright-eyed young lady who seemed very enthusiastic about the step she had just taken to complete her college degree." Dukes became a solid student, graduating in April with an associate's degree in business administration , with an emphasis in criminal justice. Along the way, Dukes received a professionalism award and an outstanding achievement award bestowed by the Heald faculty. "Deborah was a bright light on campus, hard to miss," Adams said.
Though she had previously lived with her grandmother, Dukes officially began her foster home odyssey at age 5, after an unforgettable day. "When I was 5, I delivered my brother Andrew, who is now 13," Dukes said. "My mother began having contractions in the bedroom," pleading for help," she said. Dukes said she helped deliver the baby, handed it to her mother and called an ambulance. At the hospital, it was determined that mother and baby had illegal drugs in their systems, Dukes said.
Deborah Dukes and the other children in the family were immediately placed in foster care. Dukes, whose story was featured on MTV's documentary series True Life last month, was shuttled from foster home to foster home during the next 14 years. The reasons for the frequent relocations varied. In some cases, Dukes didn't like her foster parents and asked to be placed somewhere else. Other families seemed to lose interest in having a foster daughter.
Her continual moves also forced Dukes to repeatedly change schools. She attended Valley High, Natomas High, Burbank High, Fremont Adult School and Kennedy High School, graduating from the latter in 2004. She later enrolled at Sacramento City College, before transferring to Heald. "I did have a role model, a mentor from Sisters Helping Sisters in Sacramento," Dukes said. "She really helped me out, starting when I was 14 and continuing until I was 16." Dukes, a devout Christian, also believes God guided her.
Now, Dukes lives by herself in a local apartment. Ten of her siblings are still alive. They range in age from roughly 8 to 30 years old. Some remain in foster care, others have been adopted.
Besides her father, one of her brothers is in prison. Another grown brother drifts in and out of jail on charges ranging from domestic violence to drug and weapons offenses.
"You can't choose the cards you are dealt, so you just play the cards you have," Dukes said. "I couldn't help my mother, so I want to help other people better their lives."
Edgar Sanchez
2 October 2008
