Even from the back of the parking lot some 100 yards away, the cheers of excited parents seeing their child for the first time in four months could be heard loud and clear at Sunburst Youth Academy’s Family Day.
At Sunburst, located on Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, at-risk high school students commit to living a dual life — that of student and cadet — for six months while living on base. For the entire duration, cadets are isolated from their families with no phones — their only form of communication via hand-written letters.
Family Day provides the only opportunity for parents and cadets to reunite before graduation in June, serving as a milestone in the cadets’ development.
“Some of these kids came here and were experiencing some difficulties back at home, and now they’ve been able to concentrate on themselves, relearn what it means to be a productive citizen, and now they’re going to talk to their parent with those goals in mind,” said Command Sergeant Major Peter Gutierrez, commandant of Sunburst.
The event opened with each platoon being introduced to a roar of cheers, with families scrambling to get in the best position to see their cadet. Understandably, the day can evoke a whirlwind of emotions.
“A little bit overwhelmed, very happy, extremely proud — I think that’s the main one,” Eunises Torres said. “And I want to take him home.”
Her son, Cadet Johnson, felt similarly.
“Nervous, excited and a little bit overwhelmed with how many people are here and all the noises and smells after not being around this type of food in a while,” he said.
Cadets are normally only allowed 10 minutes to eat their meals, so to be able to spend a few hours with their families and eat their favorite foods is a welcome treat. But it’s not just the food that cadets and their families look forward to the most.
Each cadet is enrolled at Sunburst not just because they need to change, but because they want to, whether it’s their academic path, life decisions or personal habits. Family Day gives cadets the opportunity to show their families how they’ve grown physically, mentally and emotionally.
“For one, I’ve lost about 25 pounds,” Cadet Johnson said. “I actually apply myself to things I need to now, instead of just things that I wanted to. I’m doing way better in school than I ever have … and I honestly have to give thanks to the staff.”
Principal Dinah Ismail, in turn, credits the academy’s success to its consistent structure.
“I think that because we’re a highly structured environment, students kind of learn their ‘when-tos,’ and that contributes to their emotional regulation,” she said. “It’s about cultivating a new mindset, new habits, discipline and structure that they can now transfer to their next environment.”