Nicholas was born and raised in Davis County. He had what some would say a typical childhood. He was an athlete, a good student, and had plenty of friends. He experimented with drugs and alcohol in high school, but still graduated and chose to go on a mission. He served his two-year mission in Singapore and came back happy, healthy, and ready to conquer the world. Shortly after his mission, Nicholas once again fell down a slippery slope and began using drugs and alcohol. After a couple of years of this, and causing a lot of damage, his family wanted to help. With their help, he moved to Idaho with his sister and her family. Nicholas was able to put his life back together to some degree – or so he thought. After several years, he went from good to bad to worse. Back in Utah, he found himself in jail multiple times – not only for drug charges, but criminal as well. Rehabs, therapy, and even drug court could not help Nicholas from this path of destruction. After his fourth probation violation and additional felony charges, he was looking at spending years in prison. Nicholas knew that his could be better and he wanted to change. His lawyer had mentioned Red Barn Academy, and so he wrote a letter to Red Barn Academy and earned himself an interview with Michael Haws. In his interview, Michael left an impact on Nicholas by telling him how much he doesn’t love his family. If he did love his family, he wouldn’t be sitting on the other side of glass. The good news was Red Barn Academy was the right place for Nicholas, and he was accepted into the academy. In 2019, his journey to reinvent his life began. He worked for the moving department and overcame his negative behaviors through hard work and service to others. He became a leader in the house and eventually became the moving manager. He was becoming a person that could be trusted, relied on, and who could serve as an inspiration to others. After completing his two-year commitment and with the guidance of his Red Barn family, he decided to stay for a third year to give back and set in stone the man that he was becoming. The principles taught at Red Barn became more than just a practice for him – it became a way of life. During his third year, Nicholas was asked if he wanted to work for Red Barn. Nicholas gets the opportunity to help every student – just like the students before helped him. He feels privileged to help point every student who arrives at Red Barn towards their own success story. Today, Nicholas is a father, a son, and a productive member of his community.

Iseli Lotaki Program Manager Red Barn Academy Iseli was raised in Texas with dreams of making it to the NFL to support his family. His athletictalent in high school attracted many college recruiters, and he thrived on the attention,embracing a lifestyle of football and partying. However, his focus on maintaining street cred andpartying caused his grades to drop, leading colleges to lose interest. Despite his potential, Iseli’s transition from a top recruit to barely making it into a Division 2college was devastating. In college, he continued to party, sell drugs, and play some footballuntil he lost his love for the sport. Seeking importance elsewhere, he turned to drug dealing.Even the birth of his first two kids did not change his path or alter his course. From age 17 to 41, Iseli cycled through crime and incarceration, burning bridges and losingeverything multiple times. Each jail or prison term provided only a temporary pause. Desperatefor a fresh start, he moved to Utah, got married, and had two more kids. Despite his hopes, life’schallenges led him back to his old habits. Facing prison again, Iseli was given a golden opportunity to go to Red Barn. By the grace ofGod, he embraced this chance to turn his life around. Remembering another student’s words,“How did I mess up so good?!” Iseli is now full of gratitude and dedicated to helping others seethat change is possible. He has an amazing relationship with his kids and works for Red BarnMovers. Despite his past, he is committed to being an example and giving back, showing thatredemption is attainable.

The third man we will be interviewing in also very impressive. This man, like our other two guests, was on a roller coaster that was leading to a very rough life. He pulled it out and became a man that today makes a difference in many lives. Allow me to introduce you to Jordan Lee Holdaway. Raised by a single mom, and lacking any respect for authority, Jordon was rebellious and a thrill-seeker from a very young age. Basing his life off a mindset of testing any and all boundaries, he found himself drifting into a life of drugs and criminal behavior during high school and continuing on into adulthood. Anti-social tendencies and an addiction to methamphetamine led to his first felony charges at the age of 23. This marked the beginning of many years in and out of prison as a career criminal and drug dealer. All told, his choices cost him 11 years of his life incarcerated with unimaginable damage done to his family and the community. This path changed for him in 2016, when he applied for an interview at The Other Side Academy, with a 15-year prison sentence over his head, and was accepted. Upon arrival at TOSA, Jordon came in with the mindset of an ex-convict and spent many months battling his old beliefs, and nearly threw away the opportunity to save his life. However, the choice to stay for nearly four years, own his behavior, face the damage that his choices had caused, and learn to put his community first, has given Jordon the determination and purpose to spend the rest of his life putting the world together rather than tearing it apart. Jordon has graduated from The Other Side Academy and has been hired to manage the Academy’s Property Management and Construction Departments as a licensed general contractor. He has regained the trust and support of the community and cherishes the opportunity to help other broken individuals do the same