By his 16th birthday, Mark Cabrera had not been so sweet.
He carried a knife to school, got caught with drugs, skipped classes, broke into a shed and stole a car, jewelry and reptiles at different times.
He was becoming an alcoholic and was getting high on drugs. He was angry and rebellious. He thought he could make more money selling drugs than he could completing an education. He was in and out of juvenile and criminal courts. His life was a mess.
For violating probation after being caught with marijuana, the Stratford High School ninth-grader served 43 days at Coastal Evaluation Center.
That’s where he began to turn his life around.
On Thursday, he was one of 23 Berkeley County School District students honored by the district with a Turnaround Achievement Award.