After-school program, support turns teen around

To strangers, there is something a little tentative about Phillip Pham, a lack of spontaneity that is surprising given his 17 years. He pauses several seconds before answering questions and divulges the most minimal information. He is judicious in his smiles. But then, say adults who know him, perhaps you have no choice but to grow guarded when your youth has been bruised.

Phil has always been a big kid -- barrel-chested, with wide, powerful shoulders that he powered into opponents on the football field. But his football career ended painfully one day during practice when he tore a ligament in his knee. Soon he became an overweight and angry teenager, limping around the house, living with a mother who speaks Vietnamese, a language he barely grasps, in a neighborhood of Worcester where boys strayed into gangs. By sophomore year his unhappiness helped him pack 260 pounds onto his 5-foot-11 frame. His grades at Doherty Memorial High School tumbled to C's and D's.

One night he couldn't face going home, so he chose to sleep outside. The police found him and drove him home.

There was one constant through high school, however: a selective after-school program that admitted Phil freshman year, after his eighth-grade history teacher submitted his name. Dynamy Youth Academy selected Phil because the staff saw that he had promise -- but was also at risk of becoming so discouraged and despondent that he might leave school.

In the three years since joining the daily after-school program, its staff has pushed Phil out into the world -- into internships, camping, and college campus visits. He lost weight, passed the MCAS, and has begun considering college programs.

"I think I would have dropped out of high school without their encouragement," Phil said, "or I'd be struggling with really bad stuff."

Since 1969, the Worcester nonprofit had offered a year of internships to motivated high school students from across the country. But 15 years ago it decided to tackle the problem of dropouts in Worcester. Under the guidance of local school and civic leaders, the staff created the youth academy as a way to redirect teens and build their self-esteem. Of the 240 or so students who apply yearly, the program's staff selects a dozen motivated, intellectually curious and financially struggling kids who are in danger of dropping out. By devoting attention and resources to these students, the program tries to teach them the self-confidence and discipline necessary to finish high school and college.

On Phil's first day, the staff started working on building his leadership skills. They took the students on field trips, including kayaking in Maine, college campus visits, even a Red Sox game. Phil took part in Outward Bound, at one point crossing a gulch with a rope. "It was about all teamwork," he said.

The students finished internships and discussed strategies for taking the SAT. During down time, Phil spent a lot of time chatting with his advisers.

But Phil admits that he held back telling them everything. "The beginning of junior year it clicked," he said. He knew several people in gangs who were getting hurt in fights. "I realized I don't want to be that way."

Phil grew close to Jim Haupt, an adviser no longer with the program. Haupt discovered that Phil was starving himself to lose weight. He suggested that Phil eat small meals frequently, and Phil shed 40 pounds in a year. As he began to feel better about himself, he trusted Haupt more. They talked at the office, in the car, while out for pizza. Sometimes Phil shared his worries, other times he was bursting with questions about what it was like to go to college, or be a father. Once a disinterested student, Phil began reading more, plowing through mystery novels. Still unable to play football, he turned to lifting weights. His grade point average rose, he said, from 2.2 to 2.7.

If Phil seems at times unrooted, he is definite about his post-college plans. After interning at the Becker College Child Development Center, he realized how much he liked working with children. He wants to combine his passion for modern history and international cultures and become a history teacher.

Haupt said he is sure Phil will graduate from college. "He's going to get there, and that's gong to be a big step for him. I have every confidence."