Talaya Ford recounts her family background. Her father has been in prison since she was 2 years old, and her mother became a drug addict when Talaya was 6 years old. She lived with her grandparents until she was 10 years old, when her grandmother died, and she went to live again with her mother in Jacksonville. Conflicts with her mother compelled her to leave home, but she was retrieved through a custody order. She eventually was placed in a succession of unsatisfactory foster homes, from which she also ran away. After difficulty living with friends and on the street, she turned herself into the police, was referred to social services, and eventually was returned to her mother. Their relationship improved, but the most effective service came when she enrolled in the P.A.C.E. Center for Girls. There she received an academic education and learned life skills. She has earned her high school diploma, is currently taking a computer course through the community college while working part time, and plans to enroll in a college nursing program.