OAKLEAF – Kayla Tallant’s sanctuary is a thickly woven cotton and embroidered jacket.

So young to be subjected to so much confusion and grief, the energetic Oakleaf High senior has bounced from home to home, only to find solace in her blue Future Farmers of America jacket.

“The barn has been my safe place that blue corduroy jacket for FFA feels like home,” she said.

Her parents were so strung out on drugs and alcohol. She was adopted by her grandparents when she was 2. They lived on a 25-acre farm in Suwannee County. In 2008, her grandmother – actually, Kyla called her “mother” – was diagnosed with scleroderma. Soon after that, her grandfather – “Papa” – was diagnosed with Parkinson’s-Plus.

“I didn’t really have parental support from the start,” she said. “After I was born, I was blessed enough to have my grandparents. They took me in, and they made sure everything was great. They took care of me from Day 1.”

Now, it was her turn to take care of them. Although she was only in middle school, Kayla became their caregiver.

The farm was too big and too demanding for an aging couple and a child, so they moved in with their son in Palm Bay. Kayla was in seventh grade, and she flourished. She played sports, was a cheerleader and was a member of the band. Life was good.

Then, her grandfather died. At the same time, her grandmother’s health deteriorated, especially after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Her uncle moved the family to Middleburg.

“My uncle had never been married; he never had kids,” Kayla said. “He totally turned his life around to take care of me. He pretty much was my guardian.”

She reconnected with her “biological” father, but he suffered brain damage and was partially paralyzed in a car crash. She never rekindled her relationship with her mother.

“I’ve matured at a young age and learned how to take care of myself. But I have had with my parents. I have good examples of what not to be in life,” she said. “I’ve always had big goals. I would definitely have to say if it weren’t for my grandparents, I would not be here today. I would not be the person that I am today,” Kayla said. “They’ve shaped me. They’ve molded me. They’ve truly made me who I am. They told me I could do anything I put my mind to.”

With so many changes in her life, Kayla learned to be self-supportive. Suddenly, she was in charge of caring for her grandmother and father.

Although she needed the support of others, she knew how to take care of herself. That helped her adjust when she moved out and was alone during her junior year at Oakleaf.

Emotionally and physically drained, Kayla was hospitalized because she didn’t have a way to deal with her grief. She found peace in a unique place.

“When I was 12, I wanted to be a pediatrician for infectious disease, but when I got to Oakleaf, I was thrown into an ag class,” she said. “I got super involved in FFA. I got a cow that I raised from three weeks old up until my senior year. FFA has been the place that feels like home to me.”

Kayla wants to be selected for a statewide position in FFA after she graduates next month. “I’ve switched over from wanting to be a doctor to now I want to teach agriculture,” Kayla said. “Agriculture truly, the FFA organization as a whole, has truly changed my life for the better.”

She is the reigning Miss Agriculture USA for Clay County and the Clay County Cattleman’s Sweetheart. She’s a National Technical Honor Society officer and National Science Honor Society member.

And, she will graduate with a 3.5-grade point average.

“I haven’t been dealt the best hand of cards, but it really matters how you play them,” she said.