MIDDLEBURG – The first 10 years of Harley Barrett’s life were stolen without apology, afterthought or regret.

Discarded like an unwanted pile of junk mail, Barrett only remembers his parents abusing him and drugs, living on the streets, bouncing from one home to another and not attending school until the state rescued him from a decade of endless punishment.

Placed with his aunt, DaKota Barrett, in Foster Care, Harley was 11 when he went to class for the first time. His parents taught him how to mix a batch of methamphetamine instead of spelling his name or adding two plus two.

“I didn’t know anything about numbers or adding, but I did a lot of tutoring from third grade, all the way up to fifth and sixth grade to get caught up,” Harley said. “I didn’t have the best parents, and I was so late getting started in school.”

Harley now makes all As and Bs. On Friday, May 23, Harley will graduate with the rest of his Middleburg High classmates – a feat once considered unlikely.

“For years, I kept to myself because I didn’t trust anyone,” he said. “We were dealing with the cops 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It took me a long time to become more social. My mom helped me so much to get me to trust people.

"Mom? I consider my aunt, DaKota, my mom."

When Harley turned 18, they made it official when DaKota adopted him.

And when he turned 18, it meant he no longer had to go to court to fight another of his biological mother’s failed attempts to regain custody of her son.

“I was so stressed about the court dates when I had to do visitations with my real mom,” Harley said. “It never really went well. I almost had a panic attack almost every single time I was there.”

Harley moved on to become an Eagle Scout who built a playground at Quigley House for children, and he often goes back to volunteer with the agency that helps those who’ve suffered from sexual abuse and domestic violence.

Harley also excelled in Middleburg’s Career and Technical Education program. He will leave the school with an Automotive Service Excellence certification in auto body repair from the Garber Automotive Academy.

He now wants to take a piece of twisted metal and make it new again, just as he did with his life.