Michael DeLeon and Crystal Vallee shared their experiences with drug addiction to Tippecanoe Valley High School students.

AKRON — Two recovered drug addicts and ex-convicts shared their experiences with drugs during a presentation at Tippecanoe Valley High School.

Michael DeLeon, CEO and founder of Steered Straight, based in New Jersey, and Crystal Vallee, speaker with Steered Straight, spoke to students on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

DeLeon began the presentation by asking the kids to raise their hands if they knew someone who had been negatively affected by drugs, many of the children admitted they did.

DeLeon stated he had gone back to school four years ago to be a drug counselor. As he was completing his counseling hours to get his degree, he lost four of the 26 kids he had begun counseling to heroin overdoses. In the last four years, his has attended 158 funerals for individuals who died from drug overdoses.

“Don’t think these choices won’t affect you for the rest of your life,” said DeLeon.

Speaker Crystal Vallee explained the reason she eventually turned to drugs was because she had many issues in her life she had never dealt with. Her parents’ rocky divorce when she was nine left her feeling unwanted and neglected.  In middle school and high school she began making poor decisions to experiment with drugs and give up on school.

Vallee emphasized any student struggling with something needs to ask for help, rather than internalizing their issues. Vallee said she followed the pattern of thinking negative thoughts about herself instead of asking for the help she needed.

“The worst bully out there is yourself,” said Vallee.

After Vallee dropped out of college, she became a victim of sexual assault and her fiancé committed suicide. Vallee turned to drugs to cope with her issues.

“I never once asked for help,” said Vallee.

While Vallee still had drugs in her system, she was in a car accident in which another individual died. Vallee was charged with vehicular homicide and spent six years in prison. Soon after Vallee got out of jail 10 months ago, she began speaking with Steered Straight to help make sure other people don’t make the choices she did.

After Vallee shared her story, DeLeon told the students about his experiences with drugs. DeLeon explained he began taking hundreds of caffeine pills during the week in order to keep up with his work load. Eventually, a coworker offered him cocaine.

“When that kid put that line of cocaine on my desk, my life changed forever.”

He struggled for years with addiction after that experience. Eventually, DeLeon went to prison after gang members he was affiliated with killed his mother. Even though he claims he was innocent, he took a plea deal and spent three years in jail. After he got out, he ended up breaking his probation and spent seven more years in jail.

Since he has gotten out of prison, he has made it his mission to steer individuals straight.

After the presentation, numerous students came to DeLeon and Vallee to asked more questions about their experiences and share their stories with them.