By Taylor Johnson, Published by WOWT on March 27, 2024
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - What started as a rough path for 17-year-old Robson and 18-year-old Bella, has turned into hope for the future.
The Boys Town students ran into trouble with the law at young ages, but have since turned their lives around.
"I am enrolled in the University of Nebraska Lincoln for the fall and I'm going to major in political science," Bella said.
"I am going to graduate on time. I came here with 75 credits and I managed to be able to graduate," Robson told 6 News.
They said the changes they've made come from hearing the stories of people like Alice Johnson, who was once sentenced to life, plus 25 years in prison for charges related to a drug conspiracy.
"It hit me in the gut. Really, my mind had to process do they mean 'life, life?' But then the judge said I would only return home as a corpse," Johnson said.
But that wasn't the case. In 2018, her sentence was commuted with the help of Kim Kardashian. Since then, she's used her time to help young people stray away from the same path.
"I truly believe in preventive measures. Where we can prevent them from committing these acts," said Johnson. "Let's catch them when they're young and let's have a change of mindset, a change of behavior."
The students shared that they feel seen by Johnson and they wanted to make a difference just like her.
"I want to be some kind of policy advocate, like lobbying. But we'll figure that out as we go," Bella shared.
"I want to definitely do the same thing she did by coming to programs like Boys Town and talking to the youth and help them with anything," said Robson.
Johnson now dedicates her work to criminal justice advocacy through her foundation called Taking Action for Good.
She is also featured in a newly released documentary called "Blue Baby."
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