Photo: DayQuan McKay, Klamath Union's Turn Around Award recipient, receives his high school diploma during the Klamath Union class of 2024 graduation June 9 at Modoc Field.
It wasn’t supposed to be in the cards for four particular Klamath Union High School seniors before entering their final year of high school.
The mountain too steep, the obstacle too rigorous to face for seniors Christen Davis, Gabrielle Johnson, DayQuan McKay and King Vaughn. Their journey into receiving their high school diploma had a different feeling.
Klamath Union Principal, Tony Swan, in his last year as principal, made it a priority to bring back an award which was a custom at the high school, known as the Turn Around Award. This year’s award went to McKay, earning him a $500 scholarship.
To McKay, one of KU’s top athletes, would seem he had everything going for him, until you begin to peel the onion.
McKay had much catching up to do academically after he did not go to school his freshman year when he moved to Florida to move with his father to better his life. McKay found himself in a situation he did not expect once he came back home.
“Life is life and some financial stuff happened. Within my four years of being in school, I have been homeless, staying on people’s couches, couch surfing,” McKay said.
Sophomore year blindsided McKay as it was difficult for him to find a grove in school, while worrying where he was going to find warmth and shelter.
His junior year came and eventually met a dear person to him, QMHA-Older Adult Behavioral Health Specialist at Klamath Basin Behavioral Health, Patricia Card. Card opened her doors to McKay, who finally had his own room, as he described, ‘was super nice.’
Through Odysseyware, he quickly made up 25 credits, upon finishing with a 3.5 Grade Point Average. From there, Klamath Union found one of its next top athletes as McKay, known as “the basketball guy,” quickly became known for his talents in track and field.
Klamath Union coach Rob Coffman found McKay dunking at Pel Court one day and urged him to compete on the track team. When it was said and done, McKay came away with silver medals in the OSAA Class 4A state high jump and 400-meter run events, earning him a spot on Western Oregon University’s track and field team next year.
“I came in only doing track off someone begging me to do it. I thought track was for non-basketball players. Turns out, most people who do basketball do track,” McKay said. “I thought, I want to go to the NBA; I want to go to college for basketball. I really saw that vision until junior year and had interests from colleges.”
McKay holds no grudges for the most difficult times of his life.
“My mom is in a bad situation but getting a job, a house. There is no time for me to go back; it is my time to grow up. Not living with your mom is a big deal and heartbreak. You want to live with your family, your blood. You do not want to live with a friend, go stay on people’s couches; it’s not fun. I am a momma’s boy so I wanted to stay home and be with my mom and make sure she was OK,” McKay said. “I can tell you if it wasn’t for those lonely nights, wondering where to go at night, I would not be where I am.”
A new ‘little step brother’
Card also brought to her home Vaughn, who also saw a drastic change in his academics after starting with 7.25 credits and made up 17.50 credits to graduate this year. Vaughn took 32 separate classes online, on top of classes he took at Klamath Union as a senior.
“I literally finished the last (class) one yesterday; that is why I am here. I have been working my butt off to do two years worth of work in one year,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn said his reason for falling behind in school contributed to having to mature earlier than he thought he had to.
“I had to take care of my siblings, make sure they were safe, fed. I sacrificed school life for them. I watched them all day when it was not my job; it is hard to act as a parent as a student,” Vaughn said. “I turned around because I did not want to be like my mom or my dad, who I don’t know.
Vaughn’s difficult upbringing had him reminisce how he was brought up. Vaughn is one of 10 siblings and recalled how his older siblings watched over him like he had to.
“I know my mom did not graduate high school, so I can’t not graduate and be like her. It pushed me to be better and finish school and go to college. I do not want a relationship with my parents but have a close relationship with his siblings,” Vaughn said. “It (graduation) is a good goal … I look at it as a bigger picture; this is just the beginning. Life is just starting so in the future I can push myself even harder. It was difficult but it wasn’t super difficult. It was doable; I think a lot more things are doable now.”
A new reputation
Johnson’s comeback story was of a student who had a complete makeover. Johnson was one of Klamath Union’s top culinary students and a captain cheerleader.
If you rewind five years, Johnson herself would not recognize the troublemaking middle school student she was.
“I surrounded myself around negative people, got into fights, skipped class and tried harder to be a bad kid than a good kid. I was expelled in eighth grade after choosing to do things other kids did,” Johnson said.
Though she did homeschool, she admittedly fell behind her freshman year because she said being at home was not the same as taking classes at school during her eighth-grade year.
Johnson knew on top of having to get her grades up, a makeover in her reputation was needed and had an inner talk with herself to fight her tendencies.
“I felt teachers would look at me bad based off people I associated myself with; it made teachers disinterested in getting to know me or even teach me things,” Johnson said. “I had to be like no I don’t do that and separate myself from friends. I had to become a cheerleader to get teachers to like me. As soon as I hit high school, they knew my past.”
“I would walk into (Sandy) Yazzie’s room and say I am going to beat this girl up, the whole shebang. I walk in there now, saying, miss Yazzie, ‘I am a cheerleader now, look at my uniform.’ It is a huge life change for me. I wanted to graduate; it is all I ever wanted. I am fantastic … I love to say it. I feel like I am ready to run the world.”
Klamath Union graduate, King Vaughn, center, applauds for his fellow classmates during the Klamath Union class of 2024 graduation June 9 at Modoc Field.
Klamath Union graduate, Gabrielle Johnson, hugs Klamath Union Principal, Tony Swan, after receiving her diploma during the Klamath Union class of 2024 graduation June 9 at Modoc Field.
Klamath Union graduate, Christen Davis, shows off her diploma during the Klamath Union class of 2024 graduation June 9 at Modoc Field.