Finding Himself in the Arena: Jonah’s Journey from Fear to Confidence
When Jonah arrived at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch nearly three years ago, he had never participated in rodeo. He said he was afraid of horses, but with enough backing from family and friends, he found the courage to work with the animals and build his skills.
“It took a lot of encouragement,” Jonah said. “My family helped me with that.”
Jonah said it helped to look at horses “like they are family.” Over the past couple of years, he has had the opportunity to bond with the horses and get to know them as creatures with feelings. That mindset helped him develop a respect and relationship for each horse at Boys Ranch.
Although Jonah has taken the time to bond with all the horses of Boys Ranch, his favorite is a horse named Cracker.
“He’s one of our most jumpy horses,” Jonah said. “It was a challenge at first, but as soon as I got used to him being scared of a lot of things, I started getting calmer and calmer. He started getting calmer as well.”
Jonah, who is from Louisiana, earned his second-place belt buckle at last year’s rodeo. His favorite events are roping and steer wrestling. Jonah said with doing rodeo, he found himself. After spending time with his mentor, Mike Lowe, and his friends, he discovered his true personality.
“When I first got here, I wasn’t even like how I am now. I didn’t know anything about this place, or this area of Boys Ranch,” Jonah said.
“Then when I started doing rodeo, it changed my whole personality. That’s what really made me figure out who I am. Because when I first got here, I wanted to be like everybody else. I wanted to just follow people.
“I’m glad I found Boys Ranch, because if I wouldn’t have, I would have been stuck in that cycle of trying to find myself.”
Now a high school senior, Jonah said he will pursue a trade school education after graduating from Boys Ranch High School.
He wants to study welding and mechanics with hopes of a career as an air transport welder.
To staff and donors, Jonah said he wanted to give them a “big thank you.”
He said there’s so much he can thank them for and one of those reasons is being given the opportunity to learn important life lessons that helped him become the person he is now.
“I’ve learned to just be myself,” Jonah said. “Instead of getting hot headed, I step away. I take a couple minutes to breathe and then get back to work. Working has changed my life. If I put in all that effort, it pays off. Not only do I get to earn money, but I get reward in knowing that I can get things done.”