Young Adults

Coming up to the day she had been waiting for, 21-year-old Michelle Harrison didn’t realize what a big deal it was until she received a text message telling her how proud her father was of her. After living on the streets in Costa Mesa, becoming addicted to drugs and going in and out of jail, Harrison graduated from the Orange County Conservation Corps on Friday with a high school diploma, a job, money for college and two years of sobriety...

Many deserving high school girls will have cherished memories of their proms thanks to the efforts of 19 volunteers from Costa Mesa-based Experian. The Heart of Experian, along with hundreds of other community volunteers, recently assisted with the Working Wardrobes? Cinderellas For Life event. The 500 Cinderellas, who are all students in the Garden Grove Unified School District, come from low-income or foster families. Many of them might not have even gone to their proms without the assistance of Working Wardrobes.

CALPIRG   Date: February, 22, 2010 For immediate release Contact: Amanda Read Cell: 908-892-2618 Office: 949-824-6385   Students Celebrate New Credit Card Protections   PRESS RELEASE   Student volunteers from U Mass Boston praised new federal credit card protections that go into effect today.   The Credit CARD Act (Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act)

USA Today recently reported that Gallup polls show a widening divide between parents and young adults on the importance of religious values. Gallup polls since the '50s reported young adults are less likely to attend religious services or consider religion important, but religious leaders see an emerging trend of young adults more pious than their parents. Has that been your experience and, if so, what do you think might have caused this trend? By words, acts (mitzvahs), tunes, upbeat attitudes, personal prayer with the use of special outreach and effort, we Jews pause and refresh our spiritual outreach to God, especially among our youth.

--Lolita Harper The Youth Employment Service of the Harbor Area will host a run in Fairview Park on Saturday to raise money for the program. The entry fee of $25 per person will go directly to the Youth Employment Services, an organization that assists youth and young adults ages 14 to 22 by providing free job referrals, workshops and career exploration. The main 5K run will start at 8 a.m. at Fairview Park, 2525 Placentia Ave. It will be followed by a special one-mile run for children only at 9 a.m. Registration is still available the day of the event, but must be done at 6:30 a.m. Information: (949)

One of the silliest things graduates are told is "Now, you're entering the real world." High school is the real world. There are real pains and struggles, love and triumph. What graduates are entering is the real world without a safety net. Most parents make sure their children have enough to eat and a place to sleep. But soon these graduates are on their own, responsible for their everyday lives and their future. To graduates, that lack of a safety net translates into freedom.

In response to Gay Geiser-Sandoval's column, ("Competitors compete with the very best," Aug. 7), we want to stress that at the Orange County Fair we fully encourage children, as well as young adults, to do and be their very best. That is why we offer many opportunities for children and young adults to participate in the fair, whether it is to entertain or compete in the many events we have open to them. The Orange County Fair has a rich history, and part of this history is to maintain the integrity of the fair's various competitions and activities.

Coming up to the day she had been waiting for, 21-year-old Michelle Harrison didn’t realize what a big deal it was until she received a text message telling her how proud her father was of her. After living on the streets in Costa Mesa, becoming addicted to drugs and going in and out of jail, Harrison graduated from the Orange County Conservation Corps on Friday with a high school diploma, a job, money for college and two years of sobriety...

Adolescence can be a baffling life passage for parents and teens, but there's help for unraveling its mysteries in new books from Newport Beach libraries. For young adults ready to look at the big picture, Jay McGraw provides a younger, hipper version of his father's "Life Strategies" in "Life Strategies for Teens." Written with the mantra "Don't like it, change it," the straightforward guide helps teens steer, rather than drift, in life. Topics include peer pressure, popularity, TV addiction, ambition and self-sabotage, all discussed with wit and enthusiasm by a youthful life coach.

To young cancer patients nationwide, Roger Daltrey is the new boss. And whatever The Who may have sung decades ago, he's not the same as the old boss. That was the thought that crossed my mind when I attended Daltrey's show Saturday at the OC Fair, then put in a call Monday to the UCLA Daltrey/Townshend Teen and Young Adult Cancer Program, which the singer launched with bandmate Pete Townshend in 2011. The men who once snarled at those who "try to put us down" are now serving as protectors for a very different generation.

When Amber Lehman transferred schools to join her boyfriend, everyone knew something about him that she didn't. He was gay. Lehman, then 16, recalled a sense of bewilderment about her former beau, who exuded a "tough guy" vibe. "I was surprised and a little shocked," Lehman said, "but mostly I was sad that he couldn't tell me himself. " The relationship petered out, and he disappeared, she added. Along with effectively opening Lehman's eyes to the fact that things aren't always as they appear, her high school partner served as a catalyst for the Lake Forest resident's latest venture - "Boy Out of Bounds.

Imagine being told at age 10 that you have Type 1 diabetes, that you have to monitor your blood sugar, inject yourself with insulin four times a day and become obsessive about everything that goes into your body. Some of us would let the disease control — and ruin — our lives. But like the saying goes, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and as a doctor and a mother in Newport Beach, I've been lucky enough to meet some incredibly strong kids. Type 2 or "adult onset" diabetes gets a lot of attention these days due to its link to the alarming rise in childhood obesity.

I'm sure you've heard these two simple expressions that have become ubiquitous. One or both of them spring from the mouths of most everyone around, peppering our everyday interaction. The first one seems indigenous to — but not reserved for — young adults. I hand the bank teller my deposit, and he says, "Perfect!" I try on a new pair of shoes and the 20-something salesperson exclaims, "Perfect!" Or I order the grilled chicken burger on a whole-grain bun, and the smiling young waitress brightens up with, "Perfect!"

Last week, the American Library Assn. announced the 2012 book award winners for children and young adult books, including the John Newbery Medal, for outstanding contribution to children's literature; the Randolph Caldecott Medal, recognizing the most distinguished picture book; and the Michael L. Printz Award, for excellence in literature targeted for young adults. "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos won the 2012 John Newbery Medal. Intended for children ages 10 and older, this title is sure to please readers of all ages with the story of a young boy who finds himself spending his entire summer vacation typewriting obituaries.

If you haven't met before, I'd like to introduce you to the Michael L. Printz Award. For readers familiar with the Newberry Medal (for children's literature), the Printz Award is the equivalent in the teen category. The Printz is awarded by the American Library Assn. (ALA) and administered by the Young Adult Library Services Assn. (YALSA). It honors the best book published in the previous year for young adults, "best" being defined by the committee solely in terms of literary merit.

As the 2010-11 academic school year comes to a close, congratulations to the seniors as they make preparations for the next phase of their lives. High schools throughout the county will advertise where their graduates are headed, often touting the most prestigious brand names, while minimizing the lesser-known colleges. Private high schools tend to tuck this list in marketing materials so that prospective parents can evaluate whether an education at that particular high school will give their child a leg up. Many of you will review those college names to evaluate your child's high school's "success" rate.

It is hot; obscenely hot. Suddenly, Bruce Springsteen’s voice blasts through the crackling heat, singing “Born in the USA.” It wakes the teenage boy. The first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is a picture of his little sister. For a moment, he is back in Nashville, waking up hungry for one of his mom’s famous Sunday breakfasts. Only something isn’t right. Where are those wonderful smells of coffee brewing and hash browns frying? And why is it still dark outside?

I never even held an infant until my son Bill was born. It wasn't that I was averse to small children, it's just that I was never really exposed to them, or given any training about how effectively to raise them as they grew up. So with the understanding that there must be many other people out there just like me, my Christmas gift is to pass along to you various tips and suggestions I have learned over the years about raising children. If you find them to be helpful, pass them on, along with your own comments and recommendations, to young parents as they are doing the most difficult but also the most important thing a human being can do, which is to raise children.

I wouldn't be writing about the ridiculously immature "Jackass 3-D" if it didn't rack up $50 million on its opening weekend. I went to a rainy Tuesday night showing at Triangle Square and found two theaters packed with young people in their teens and 20s laughing like crazy at the juvenile antics on the screen. This eye-popping franchise has become a major circus sideshow show experience for our current generation. The movie is full of crazy amateur stunts and skits that take only a few minutes each.