A clear message: Stay in school

Fourteen-year-old Joel Perez vowed to stay in school and away from street violence, which he said took the lives of his cousins and uncles.

"I didn't take my parents seriously; they always tell me 'You should do better,' " Perez said. "I am going to."

Retired Army Lt. Col. Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch gave him a hug, and asked East Aurora High School counselor Pablo Alvarez to keep an eye on Perez, a freshman, "as a personal favor."

This personal exchange took place in the high school's auditorium before more than 300 freshmen and sophomores who participated in "Planning For Life," a program sponsored last week by the Army.

The program aims to boost students' educational achievement through a "mind, body and soul" approach, addressing topics such as making the best of high school, staying healthy with proper nutrition, and applying for college scholarships.

Students participate in an educational game show-style program, with teams vying for a $200 cash prize. All participating students get free access to online preparation curriculums for the PSAT and SAT exams.

The morning started with an hour-long speech by Kickbusch, 53, who was the highest-ranking Hispanic woman serving in the Army's combat support field when she retired in 1996.

She now is a motivational speaker and president and CEO of Educational Achievement Services, which conducts workshops for schools, government agencies and corporations. She estimated she has spoken to about 1 million students across the country.

Her style is reminiscent of a preacher's; she struts, yells, whispers and gets emotional while telling stories of young people she has met through the years -- a girl who was jailed for neglecting her baby, a young man left paralyzed by gang violence.

"Somewhere, somehow we lost it. … So I ask you, 'Let's stop the violence!' " she thundered to enthusiastic applause.

Kickbusch described growing up with nine siblings in Laredo, Texas; her mother was a maid and her father worked two jobs to support the family. She had to translate for both parents, who didn't speak English.

"If I am going to go forward, I have to be willing to claim where I come from. I will never be ashamed of my parents," said Kickbusch, who also peppered her speech with humorous anecdotes from her youth.

Freshman Mireya Sosa said Kickbusch's speech touched on real issues that she and her friends live through. "I liked everything, it was totally true," she said. "It made me think of my girlfriend who had a baby at age 15, and her boyfriend is in jail."

Despite the students' positive response and public promises such as Perez's, the reality is that often kids have too little incentive to stay in school, Kickbusch said.

"That's why I turn it over to the school, to the teachers and the counselors," she said. "They are the ones who are there for them."

Kickbusch lives in Las Vegas with her husband, also a retired Army lieutenant colonel. The couple have five daughters.