Alumni Questionnaire ← Back to Index

Allison Poche:

What is your name?

Allison Poche

To which institutions were you sent?

EC and Canada

How old were you?

Almost 17

When were you enrolled in The Program?

July 1990-September 1991

What was the highest level you attained?

In the DR, 2nd, with a brief stint at 3rd while my housefather was out of town

Please describe the circumstances that got you sent to The Program:

No trouble with the law, no drugs, no alcohol problems. Sexual abuse as a child. This may have led to parental anger and some missed curfews. Cigarettes and grade slipping, but I don't know. I think plain old counseling would have been worth a shot.

In which house(s) did you live?

Starr House

Please describe instances of abuse you experienced while in the program, if any:

Don't really remember anything but humiliation

Describe abuse of other students you witnessed, if any:

An overweight Latino girl and a short little Latino girl in my house were constantly belittled by our house father. He didn't seem satisfied until they were in tears. There are other things I saw that just didn't seem right. Too much exercise, not enough food, not enough love, etc.

Do you have any good memories of The Program? If so, what are they?

The settings are certainly beautiful and I have maintained a couple of friends.

What is your overall impression of The Program? Did it “help you”?

Sometimes I have thought it helped, but mostly, I think it exacerbated fragilities that were already there: Need to please people, obsessive cleaning, fear of showing true feelings, etc. I don't know. I think the punishment should fit the crime and when there is no crime, you handle the child accordingly. I think a blanket treatment policy caused more damage than good. I just learned to front my way through, not work through.

What do you think of the quality of education you received?

Could have done that or much, much better at any school.

How old are you today?

31

Did you go to college after attending The Program? If so, what degrees do you have?

I started and stopped a few times, first because I was sick of structure and bound and determined to run my own life and then because I was unsure of what I wanted to do.

What is your profession?

Sales and Marketing for the family business

Do you consider yourself a Christian today?

Yes

What effect did “The Program” have on your faith?

I walked away from God for a lot of years. Too busy trying to please the men in my life.

Please feel free to add comments here:

I think there may be kids who need the program. Criminals, abusers, etc. I think normal kids with the typical parent/child issues or other insecurities need to try counseling before being shipped off an housed with said criminals and treated as such.

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