• In Our Words…

• Memories that will Last a Lifetime

• Success Stories

  In Our Words…

“Most people think of us as young criminals that are going to hit the penitentiary one day.  For some of us that’s sadly true.  But still you guys came in and turned a bunch of gang-bangin’ criminals into big kids having fun.  A lot of us did not have ‘normal’ childhoods, so for you to come in and let us be young again, means a lot to me and the other guys.”

-DeAndre, probation camp youth participant

“The experience with the US program had a great influence on me. I am better able to deal with my anger in a constructive manner. The program helped me realize that I have a great deal of potential in Theatre.  I now have more confidence with my studies and other activities that I do. The Unusual Suspects program has given me the tools to succeed in my academic as well as personal life.  It has helped me to become a positive role model for others who experience similar difficulties.”

-Bryant, Vista del Mar Child & Family Services youth participant

“I learned to work with others different from me. I admit that when you combine a lot of ideas together, you end up with an immaculate piece of work. I’ve learned to create something special, despite my current situation, and challenge the stereotypes that have been placed on me!”                                                  

-Darrell, Heman G. Stark participant

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Memories that will Last a Lifetime

May 24, 2007 seemed like another typical day for the wards incarcerated at the Heman G. Stark

Youth Correctional Facility in Chino, California. But I, Harvey Lee Coronel, can assure you that it was not. We had received prior notification from staff that there would be a theatre group working with us to create a play. My initial thought was that it was going to be “impossible.”

I finally let go of all self-doubt. I felt like my
input and ideas truly held significance.” In
those seven weeks of diligence and collaboration, guided by our instructors, we came up with A Hustler’s Epiphany, a story consisting of all our ideas, lives, minds and even some personal experiences.

It wasn’t until June 30th that we really felt
our total sense of self-accomplishment. At the library a staged reading was held involving professional actors, encouraging volunteers and correctional officers. It was a day when everyone witnessed our creativity, ingenuity and commitment! To be able to see professional actors read our script and translate our characters gave us a feeling of pride. It felt so rewarding to all of us for so many people to take notice of what we had made. Seeing the play come to realization is a memory ingrained in our minds and heart of hearts.

Derrick explains, “It made me feel tremendously happy to see the hard work we all put together was a masterpiece.”
Devon realizes, “I felt rejuvenated watching
and visualizing the play. It gave me an

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This program has been so important to me. It
showed me that I have to learn how to “look”
beyond what’s in front of me. There are
opportunities out there for us, we just have to be open to them! This experience made
me consider going to college and attending
classes.

With that: I AM Harvey Lee Coronel and today and forever more, I FEEL proud to be a part of The Unusual Suspects program…  

Dedicated to those discouraged and those finding a way out of it.

SUCCESS STORIES
These are just a few of the many thousand youth we have reached over the past 15 years!

· JOSE RAMIREZ
Jose Ramirez, a youth who turned his life around after being incarcerated at Camp David Gonzales Probation Camp in Calabasas, accepted the Coming Up Taller award from First Lady Laura Bush today on behalf of The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company (US) on Monday, January 28, 2008.

For Ramirez, the chance to meet the First Lady is something he never imagined could happen, especially when only a year ago he was in jail. The son of a Guatemalan immigrant, Ramirez lost his mother in a fire when he was ten years old. Left with little to guide him, Ramirez ended up in a Los Angeles County probation camp at the age of seventeen.

While incarcerated, Ramirez joined The Unusual Suspects theatre program and found hope in a new kind of family. Through improvisation, ensemble building exercises, playwriting, and acting Ramirez learned patience and discovered a greater purpose. “The program made me change. When someone told me 'I' could do something, it was like a gift,” he says.

Now nineteen, Ramirez has received his high school diploma, completed a semester at community college and become a citizen of the United States. Ramirez says, “[i]f it weren't for The Unusual Suspects, I would be dead or in prison.”

· SOPHIA SOU
Sophia Sou participated in our 2002 Art Share and Alumni Programs in 2005. She graduated with honors from Gabrielino High School and currently is completing her sophomore year at UCLA. Sophia is a true leader in every area of her life. Not only did she participate in our first alumni program, she participated in a Congressional Student Leadership Conference in Washington D.C., interned for 49th district Assemblywoman Judy Chu. Currently, Sophia just returned from a study aboard program in Paris and is eager to be a US Ambassador. “Thank you to The Unusual Suspects for giving me a place to explore my dream, for believing in me, and for your ongoing service to the youth-of-tomorrow.”

· TAMEEKA SMITH
Tameeka Smith spent much of the first twelve years of her life homeless. Moving from St. Louis, Missouri to California was difficult for Tameeka and her family, especially since they didn't know anyone in the state. Without family, friends, or any kind of support Tameeka, her mother and her brother weren't able to find a home. Instead they were forced to live anywhere they could find shelter, often taking refuge in churches, missions, or an alleys.

After having spent eight years worrying about where she would sleep each night, Tameeka and her family were finally able to move into a real home in the Wilshire Center neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was at this time that Tameeka learned of The Unusual Suspects.

In 2007, Tameeka graduated from Cal State Long Beach from the English and Creative Writing program. Currently she is a manager for Old Navy and was just signed off to manage her own store! Eventually she would like to go back to school and write her own script. Last but not least, she recently became engaged and will be getting married in June 2008!

 

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