SRJC student overcomes troubled past

There was a time in Ruben Armenta’s young life when nearly everyone had given up on him.

Expelled from elementary school by the sixth grade, he lasted only days at two middle school campuses before administrators sent him packing.

“They saw my record,” said Armenta, now 19 and a Glen Ellen resident. “I got in a lot of fights, more than 20.”

He missed school for a year before a chance meeting led Armenta to Hanna Boys Center, a Sonoma Valley residential treatment center for troubled boys.

Today he is a Santa Rosa Junior College student who plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from either Sonoma State or San Francisco State University. He hopes one day to work as a supervisor or administrator at a group home for troubled youth.

“Or I’d like to start my own organization. I’m passionate about working with kids, especially with what I’ve been through,” Armenta said.

He credits several people along his path to success, an unlikely journey for a runaway from Guadalajara, Mexico, who was prone to fistfights and ditching classes.

“School,” he said, “was not a good experience for me.”

Among several turning points was a $2,000 scholarship from the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance in 2013, along with a laptop computer from Pacific Office Automation.

“It was a huge difference,” Armenta said. “It was telling me, ‘We want you to go to school, we are investing in you.’ It was letting me know that they believe in me. I’m very thankful for that scholarship.”

Armenta qualified for the scholarship, offered to students with a parent working for a winery or vineyard within the Sonoma Valley appellation, because his mother works the vines with La Prenda Vineyard Management.

He earned another $1,000 scholarship this year, from the 10,000 Degrees program.

The youngest of six children, Armenta was still living in Mexico when his father died. At 9, he and his 13-year-old sister moved to Victorville to join an older brother. Their mother moved from Mexico a year later.

Armenta attended a school with strong gang influences and few resources for emigrants. While struggling to learn English and follow the curriculum, he was teased and bullied and learned to defend himself with his fists. He was expelled from junior high school within three weeks and flunked seventh grade.

As an adolescent, Armenta moved with his family to Boyes Hot Springs to make “a fresh start,” but because of his expulsion record was directed to a continuation school in Petaluma, a long bus ride from home. After a year he bailed out and was at a low point when Kevin Thorpe came into his life. Thorpe, a caseworker and therapist from Hanna Boys Center, was substituting as a Sunday school teacher, and the pair discovered they lived in the same neighborhood.

Thorpe quickly recognized that Armenta wanted help and had a desire to succeed.

“Part of it was he always seemed to want to do what was right, even though it was not the easiest thing,” Thorpe said.

He was impressed that Armenta, just a kid, woke around 5 a.m. to get to class in Petaluma, despite his aversion to school.

“For someone who had been in trouble and kicked out of school, that was pretty amazing,” Thorpe said. “He’s an awesome guy.”

Although initially wary, Armenta moved to Hanna Boys Center as an eighth grader and graduated at 17 from Archbishop Hanna High School with a 3.2 grade point average.

“I think going to Hanna was beautiful,” Armenta said. It’s where he found the encouragement, support and structure he needed to thrive.

“I had people like Kevin Thorpe who really helped me turn my life around,” Armenta said. “He saw me grow up and become the man I am today. I consider him part of my family.”

A special teacher also recognized Armenta’s potential. Mario Alioto taught U.S. history, civics and economics and challenged the young man to pursue college prep courses.

“He pushed me to challenge myself in school and helped me out with my resumes,” Armenta said. “He was always there to help me.

“A lot of it was my family, but a lot of it was the staff at Hanna.”

With a year of junior college under his belt, Armenta took a year off to work two jobs in anticipation of his first child, but plans to return for summer school. During that year he gained experience with children, working with boys and young men at a residential treatment center in Sebastopol, directing youth at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley and serving as an instructional aide in a Sonoma classroom for students with learning disabilities and developmental challenges.

He and his girlfriend, a graduate student at Sonoma State University, welcomed their son Behkam eight months ago, yet another motivation to succeed.

“He’s my life,” Armenta said. “I want to go to school and set the example for my son. Education goes a long way. I never used to believe that.”