PHOTO BY Jason Redmond / MPW.59 PHOTO BY Jason Redmond / MPW.59
  • Brittany's Journey
  • By Jason Redmond, Ventura County Star
  • The 59th Missouri Photo Workshop / Chillicothe, Mo.
  • Brittany Jackson is an 18-year-old high school student trying to pull her life together while helping raise her 11-year-old brother Brandon. Brittany lived with her grandmother until she died from an overdose four years ago and is overcoming the path of unstable homes and drugs from the years that followed. She says staying in school will be the key to her success.

    She's attending the Chillicothe Alternative Center for Education, a school for at-risk youth, and will finish this December and intends to pursue a career in childcare. Brittany is also currently watching over her brother who recently returned home from foster care. Brandon was taken away after their mom went to jail on a DUI hit-and-run charge. Brittany is worried that without proper support that he too could fall victim to the mistakes she and her mom have made.

    Brittany hangs out at home alone after school. Her past has been dark but she is working hard to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

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