UPPER DARBY SCHOOL DISTRICT 601 North Lansdowne Avenue • Drexel Hill • Pennsylvania • 19026 •(610) 394-1535 FAX: (610) 394-1594

As a young girl I remember hearing Joey Perez’s testimony at a local church. Even as a child I remember thinking what strength it must have taken to turn a life of violence and destruction over to one of truth and selflessness. I was fortunate to hear his story and not be able to relate to it, but I had no idea what works were already in place in hearing those words in relation to where my life would take me.

Today I am the guidance counselor for high school students who struggle with the life that Joey speaks so passionately about; the glamorized life of crime and quick money coated by false hopes of feeling complete with a fulfilled purpose in life. The long road that ends in shattered lives and the destruction of hope. When I began at Upper Darby High School’s

Opportunity Center I knew that Joey would be able to reach my students in a way no one else could, because he lived it, he survived it, and found mercy despite his failures.

The youth of today are too often written off as problems for society to deal with and the statistical fragment is all that remains of their existence. The truth of the matter is, they are real, and their hearts still can be broken by the heavy burdens life has haphazardly thrown at them. We cannot forget about them because they too have a purpose and a plan for their life; I believe Joey showed them that. He spoke candidly about the poor choices he made and how he learned to function amidst dysfunction. He spoke with words of wisdom that were firm yet not judgmental.

I have never seen my students so attentive and so involved in what a speaker had to say. They took copies of his book as if they were going to disappear off of the table. I would be honored to have Reverend Perez speak to my students again and wherever my professional career takes me, I will make sure to recommend Joey to speak. From a young child to now, his life has made an impact on me and I can guarantee it made one on my students as well.

Amanda M. Cleveland, M.Ed
Guidance Counselor
Upper Darby High School