Unioto senior overcomes childhood struggles to succeed
CHILLICOTHE— Growing up the decisions of those around us and how we are raised significantly impact our lives and our future. This is evident in Unioto High School senior JJ LaRue, who was given opportunities in life he would have never had after a drastic change in his childhood.
Growing up LaRue and his brother lived with his mom, he said that his mother and father's separation caused his mother to fall into a depressive state where she would abuse substances, like alcohol and drugs, to cope. LaRue also saw several different men coming in and out of the house. He said as the substance abuse got worse so did he and his family's living situation. With money being spent on drugs instead of bills the family found themselves homeless living in a tent when LaRue was around 11 years old.
After hearing about the situation the brothers were in a local family fostered LaRue and his brother, Caden. Being in foster care with a family provided new opportunities for LaRue, but at first he didn't see it that way. Since he was young he said he did not fully understand all of the bad things going on while he was with his mother and he felt like this new foster family was taking him away from his family. He said that at the time he was angry at the world and felt the only person who truly loved him was his grandmother.
"I didn't even grasp that we were not living in good conditions at all," said LaRue. "As time went on I realized that my foster mother and foster father were the most stable situation I could have been in at the time."
Over his five years in foster care, he would eventually grow to love his foster family and understand that they were doing what was best for him. He said his foster parents pushed him to work hard and do better at everything he did, including school and track. His foster father, Garry Barnett, was the first permanent father figure he had in his life and though they would butt heads on occasion looking back LaRue said the Barnetts were a positive force in his life that gave him opportunities he never would have had if they had not taken him in.
His foster father would die during the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving his foster mother with a lot on her plate so the brothers moved in with their grandpa. LaRue said his grandpa has been inspiring to see as he is a strong man who works hard even after retiring. He said his grandpa has been very supportive of him since they moved in together.
Throughout his life, his younger brother has been with him but LaRue said he has never felt like he ever had to take on the protective big brother role as they are close in age and have gone through everything together.
"I would say he is just as tough as I am, we took care of each other," said LaRue.
At Unioto Larue and his brother both run, LaRue is on the cross-country and track teams and has been running since middle school. He joined with his friends and quickly made friends with the rest of the team. He said one of his favorite high school memories is winning All Ohio during his senior year.
High School Principal Nathan Caplinger said that LaRue is a great student and he has been able to see how he acts as a leader to other students on the cross country team.
"He is a good kid, a good role model for others," said Caplinger.
These leadership skills will help LaRue in his future as he plans on majoring in education to become a teacher and a coach. This combo career excites him as he likes seeing the happiness his coach gets when the team wins and he wants to feel the same by pushing others towards success.
LaRue has signed to continue his educational and athletic career at the University of Rio Grande. He said he is looking forward to college and the new opportunities and experiences it brings. He is also excited to meet his teammates and make new friends.
Graduation for Unioto High School's graduating seniors will take place at 4 p.m. on May 28.
Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Unioto senior overcomes childhood struggles to succeed
