What Missouri loses when we cut YouthBuild

By: Kayleigh Wiecken

Outlets: Missouri Independent

Published: June 26, 2026

Words: 642

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 6 days ago

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I was 16 years old and hadn’t been to school in months.

It wasn’t a decision I made lightly. My family had moved from Mexico, Missouri to Centralia, and from the moment I arrived, school felt like a place that wanted me gone. Girls in my grade spread rumors about me. Teachers and coaches belittled me. I was a wrestler – I loved that sport – until my coaches humiliated me at practice …

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