“When I moved my sophomore year, second semester I was struggling in my math class and there was a lot of stress upon me with school and my parents and everything so my mom and I just decided it was best to live with my dad for a year and just gather myself,” said Oxnard High School senior Andre Lanns.

After a year and a half-long hiatus at Goodyear, Arizona with his mother, Lanns reflects on his experiences with transferring to Millennium High School. “Me leaving last year has definitely prepared for me to leave the nest,” said Lanns.

“When I was younger my parents got divorced…I kind of resented [my mom] for it. My dad and I had a sort of connection,” Lanns said. Despite Lanns’ resentment, “she had a lot to do with raising three kids with the income that she had so we struggled. But we still got through. She always made sure that whatever we needed or wanted to be, she was always there for us.”

Moving miles away from what he was accustomed to was difficult at the time for Lanns to adapt to the new changes. “Not only because I grew up with the people here [at Oxnard] but because everybody is really involved like the administrators– they all work together to help you.” At Millennium High, “everyone is doing their own thing,” Lanns said.

Being exposed to a different city, however, provided Lanns with new opportunities. “Having block schedule [at Millennium High] was a really big help for me…having a longer class I got to develop more as a student.” “When I went to Arizona, they encouraged me to play football” he said. This encouragement lead Lanns to experiment with his sports career at Millennium by also running Track and Field. Nevertheless, he said, “I benefited from leaving…[but] I definitely missed my friends and my family.”

“At Oxnard High School, we are very much like a family…coming back everyone welcoming me back with open arms was really great,” said Lanns. “For all of you that are thinking of transferring schools, it’s not the best thing to do. It’s better off for you to stay at one school and keep your education there.”