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She already had grade troubles. Then there was the party she sneaked off to without her mother knowing.
More trouble — and perhaps more serious trouble — was on the horizon.
But her decision to straighten up led Andrea, 14, to receive the 2008 Honor of Hope award from the White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives office. The award honors youths choosing to ignore negative influences and be a positive role model.
"I don't pay attention to the people that don't like me, 'cause one of these days they're going to be looking up at me,” she said.
Her mother saw the signs of trouble ahead, so three years ago she took Andrea to the Weed and Seed community outreach center where the girl was made to do her homework. She also was commissioned two weeks of community service. Weed and Seed is a federally funded program that weeds out the bad in a neighborhood and plants the seeds for positive growth.
Andrea was not receptive at first, said Kenneth Banks, the lead karate instructor at the Rominger Community Center, 3450 SW 29. The turnaround began when she discovered the karate program.
"Once she saw what the program was about and what it was doing for her, she just jumped right in,” Banks said. "There was a confidence problem. I started giving her responsibility in the classroom, and it just filtered over into the school and at home.
"She just kind of blossomed.”
Andrea now mentors the younger students, both in the dojo and in the classroom, she said. Karate has been essential to her newfound discipline and confidence, but having a father figure and a place to turn has fueled her excellence.
"Weed and Seed is always there for me,” she said. "And sensei (Banks), he's like a dad to me. He has always been there for me. He told me, ‘I will be here for you. You're like my daughter.'”
Andrea lives with her mother, Maria Delgado, and brother Armando Delgado. Banks said she is incredibly protective of the boy.
Should Andrea Delgado stray, Banks reels her back and they talk about the problem, he said.
Raising children on the brink of trouble is familiar to Banks. He has two sons; both have been shot and have been active in gang life. It's not something he is proud of, but it's reality.
The 1981 All-American Karate champ said he doesn't want that for Andrea Delgado.
Banks made the same choice she did when he joined a dojo and began competing when he was 12.
"It probably saved my life,” Banks said.
What drives Banks in his full-time mentor role is the idea that he may give the same gift to a troubled child, he said.
If all goes as planned, Andrea said, she will continue in her role of serving the community and one day will become a pediatric nurse.
