VERO BEACH — Fabian Stansbury, a Vero Beach native, had many obstacles in his childhood to overcome. When he was a young child, his mother entered prison for an 11-year term. Stansbury then became a ward of the state and went to live with his grandmother. As a young teen, he lived with two other families who took him in.
Upon his mom’s release from prison, Stansbury felt a stirring in his heart to live with her again. During high school he worked two jobs to help pay the bills and worked hard at school, which did not come easy for him.
Although he was one of the biggest disciplinary problems in the fifth grade, he would go on to be the first high school graduate in his family. He gave college a try, yet it did not work out for him at that time. So, he worked two jobs and began studying for the military entrance exam, ASVAB. Even though he did not receive the score he needed the first two times, he pressed on and studied for months. On his third attempt, he scored so high that cheating was suspected. He retested and had the exact same score again. Stansbury has now been a United States Marine for seven years.
On a recent trip back home to Vero Beach, he delighted in sharing his story of obstacles, victories and faith with the teens at Hibiscus Children’s Center. His inspiring story of determination is a great example to the youth of never giving up and to keep dreaming of having a better future.
The Hibiscus Children’s Center extends its thanks to Fabian for sharing his story with the Hibiscus teens and best wishes as he continues with his bright future!
For more information about Hibiscus Children’s Center please visit us at HibiscusChildrensCenter.org.
