I’m Sierra Belka and here’s my story.

I had a normal upbringing, and like many kids, I got into the party scene in high school. It started with drinking and quickly progressed to using pills. Before I knew it I was using heroin. I got my first DUI before my 16th birthday, around the same time I became a full blown heroin addict. I started stealing to support my addiction, and by the time I was 18, I wasn’t welcome anywhere. I would lie to, steal from, and manipulate the people who cared about me most. I lived on the streets or stayed with friends, carrying everything I owned in a backpack on my back.

When I was 22, I had been arrested 9 times and spend 3.5 years in jail. That was when I found out about The Other Side Academy. What stuck out about it was that it was something I could do on my own. I had burned every bridge out there, I had no insurance, and nobody was going to help me. The Other Side Academy was free and all it took was my commitment.

Throughout my 3 year stay, I gained courage and learned to set boundaries. I don’t run away from my problems anymore. I confront the people around me and let them help me. I’m honest now and I’ve grown compassion for others. I learned that it’s not all about me! I want other people to do well and feel as good as I feel now. Most importantly, I got something I never thought I’d get back: my family. These days I’m at the top of the list to babysit my little brother, which would have been unthinkable before.

My name is Jordon Lee Holdaway and here is my story.

Raised by a single mom, and lacking any respect for authority, Jordon was rebellious and a thrill-seeker from a very young age. Basing his life off a mindset of testing any and all boundaries, he found himself drifting into a life of drugs and criminal behavior during high school, and continuing on into adulthood.

Anti-social tendencies and an addiction to methamphetamine led to his first felony charges at the age of 23. This marked the beginning of many years in and out of prison as a career criminal and drug dealer. All told, his choices cost him 11 years of his life incarcerated with unimaginable damage done to his family and the community.

This path changed for him in 2016, when he applied for an interview at The Other Side Academy, with a 15 year prison sentence over his head, and was accepted. Upon arrival at TOSA, Jordon came in with the mindset of an ex-convict and spent many months battling his old beliefs and nearly threw away the opportunity to save his life. However, the choice to stay for nearly four years, own his behavior, face the damage that his choices had caused, and learn to put his community first, has given Jordon the determination and purpose to spend the rest of his life putting the world together rather than tearing it apart.

Jordon has graduated from The Other Side Academy and has been hired to manage the Academy’s Property Management and Construction Departments as a licenced general contractor. He has regained the trust and support of the community, and cherishes the opportunity to help other broken individuals do the same.