Amanda, who lives at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in Boulder City, hones her piano playing skills. Photos by Jessica Fryman/R-Jeneration Amanda, who plans on attending cosmetology school after high school, shows off some of her art work.

A lack of credits has 16-year-old Amanda in the freshmen class at Boulder City High School, but with her efforts in extra online courses, she is quickly approaching her diploma. In 2009, she will be the first in her family to graduate.

Throughout her childhood, Amanda was in contact with her parents, but lived with her grandmother and moved several times. Instability coupled with severe financial problems made life more than tough.

By the time she was 12, Amanda was headed in the wrong direction with little possibility of change.

"I went into this stage where I was like 'I'm going to do whatever I want to,' " Amanda said. "I was being a bad girl."

Behavioral problems, including trouble with curfew and truancy, were part of several minor issues that quickly escalated.

"It got to the point where I realized I was too much for my grandmother," she said. "I told her 'You're getting too old, I got to go.' "

Amanda's grandmother signed her over to the state in 2004. After spending three months in Child Haven, Amanda went to St. Jude's Ranch for Children.

Education, opportunities and hope are vital in adolescence, and when children are unable to receive necessary attention, St. Jude's provides a safe haven and a home. Not only does the facility offer a loving environment to troubled children, it changes lives.

St. Jude's is currently home to about 30 children. Individual homes at the ranch in Boulder City house between seven and nine kids, with family teachers who act as parents at the head of each household.

Amanda is a living testament of the program's success.

With the help of her new family, Amanda immediately began to transform.

"You have a lot of people (at St. Jude's) that teach you right from wrong. You have guidance and people you can go to for advice," she said. "They teach you things you need to know for the future. It's a good place to be."

It is the support Amanda found at St. Jude's that brought her back to the facility after leaving to be reunited with her family.

Amanda began living with her aunt in 2005, but then ran away. She moved in with several different family members over a year and a half, and was not enrolled in school. Unable to find the care she needed, Amanda asked to live at St. Jude's again.

"I regret it so much," Amanda said. "I feel that I've lost a lot of education and now it's so hard to keep up."

In addition to her online classes, she also seeks extra help through after-school tutoring programs and her teachers.

Aside from her growing academic achievement, she is working to refine her newly found talents of piano and art. Amanda's other hobbies include scrapbooking and cheerleading.

Already far surpassing the requirement to receive a school credit, Amanda has dedicated 200 hours to community service this year.

She also spends her time working at Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, which is part of the requirements for obtaining independent living at St. Jude's Ranch.

At 18, teenagers have the option of gaining more independence. Living with a group of young adults, those in the independent living program have a later curfew, among other privileges.

In order to gain this status, a job, responsibility and a specific number of points on the Model of Care (St. Jude's point card system) are required.

As a prime candidate for the program, Amanda is one of the highest-ranking girls at St. Jude's.

"Amanda is really good," said Michelle Salecki, Amanda's family teacher. "She is good about doing things without being told. She's respectful. She's responsible."

Amanda's responsibility will be crucial in her quest to achieve her goals. As she works toward her high school diploma, she plans to go to cosmetology school. She also hopes to become successful in her field, have a family, find happiness and to "do the right thing in life."

Through her experiences at St. Jude's Ranch for Children, Amanda is confident in her ability to accomplish her mission.

"I feel a lot more mature and more knowledgeable," Amanda said. "I achieve a lot of things I set myself out to achieve, and this is something I really want."