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Charter College of Education
Ross Reay has persevered through trying times on his way to earning a Bachelor of Science in rehabilitation services and a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average.
The 53-year-old Reay wants to dedicate his life to helping people who are battling drug and alcohol addiction. His goal, he says with determination, is to start his own rehabilitation center that caters to clients who cannot afford help.
For Reay, the mission is personal. Alcohol and drug abuse landed him in federal prison for two years and nearly derailed his dreams.
“I drank and used for 24 years. I was a high school dropout. And at 36, it was either death or sobriety,” he says.
He entered an Alcoholics Anonymous program 17 years ago, which he credits for helping him turn his life around. “I’ve never had a drink or drugs since then,” he says.
One of the steps of recovery involves making amends to those you have wronged. Reay approached a former employer and admitted to stealing money. His former boss alerted authorities, and Reay was arrested and convicted in connection with mail fraud. He was sentenced to two years at Taft Federal Correctional Institution.
Reflecting on his incarceration, he says he has no regrets.
“My biggest fear was going to prison, but I learned that I can face my greatest fear and come out unscathed,” he says. “It was OK for me to pay the price. I felt good about that.”
Reay says he was able to take a few college courses while he was in prison. But during his three-year probation period, he wasn’t allowed to enroll in school. It was a frustrating time, he says.
Even though Reay has a 4.0 GPA, he says he didn’t become stressed about earning perfect grades. “I just feel that if I’m in this class, and this instructor is trying to teach me, I need to give 100 percent back,” he says. “I listen, participate, follow instructions and do the best I can.”
Reay currently works as a counselor at a residential treatment center where he started as an intern. “I love working with my [clients] and doing this job. I have to do it.”
Reay says he has learned a lot about himself during his time at Cal State LA. “I’m good at counseling. I realized I can probably make a difference there. And that’s major for me because I grew up never thinking I was good at anything,” he says. “I’ve learned that I can be happy. And I’ve learned that I can juggle a lot in my life and still be OK.”