Jerry Harris, 18, is a senior at Plainview High School in Ardmore. After his parents split years ago, he left Texas to live with his dad in Oklahoma. Jerry has gone through high school with a learning disability, but he's graduating on time at the end of May.
Jerry lives in southern Oklahoma, but he visits the brick Coppell home where he used to live with his sister Abbey and mom Susan Evans.
He's ready for college. He鈥檒l attend the University of Oklahoma and can hardly wait to join a fraternity 鈥� like his parents and grandparents 鈥� make new friends and take on tough pre-med classes.
Back in eighth grade, he was a gawky kid, dealing with a learning disability called . It interferes with the ability to write or print, to spell, and legibly put thoughts on paper. His obsession back then was basketball.
鈥淚t pretty much means everything," he says. "Like, if I go three days without playing, I鈥檒l get the jitters. I鈥檒l start bouncing a ball inside the house. I鈥檒l get in trouble because I鈥檓 bouncing the ball so much.鈥�
Sticking to mom鈥檚 highly organized rules helped 13-year-old Jerry stay out of trouble. She even made him sign a contract. For instance, if he didn鈥檛 help sister Abbey with school work, he could be grounded. Mom鈥檚 structure wasn鈥檛 all that chafed him. His parents鈥� divorce years earlier still hurt. In busy, suburban Coppell High, crowded with go-getter kids, he felt no freedom.
Read the about Jerry 鈥� he's one of seven North Texas teens we've been following since 8th grade in our American Graduate series, .
