The Louisiana National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program changed Tandi Bankston’s life. Bankston, 26, was expelled from Tioga High School when she was 16. She said she had issues with authority and a hard time controlling her temper.

“I wasn’t a bad kid,” Bankston said. “I could not bite my tongue or control my temper. … And that wasn’t going to get me anywhere.” As the daughter of a single mom raising two kids and working two jobs, Bankston said her family moved a lot. She said she was missing structure.

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