Retail theft at age 18 haunts me, 10 years later

At the age of 18, while still in high school, I made a tactless and indiscriminate decision to shoplift an item at a retail store. As I look back on the circumstances surrounding my life at this time, I can see that my behavior was an externalization of my own pain and disillusion of the violence, poverty, abuse and brokenness surrounding me at that time. Since this occurred, I honorably served 6 years in the U.S. Army, am Veteran of Iraq, completed a B.S. in Human Development & Family Studies at Penn State w/ a GPA 3.67, completed M.A. in Counseling w/ 3.9 GPA, and have volunteered more than 400 hours in my community; these experiences along with many others speak to the person I became 10 years later. My personal history (including this act of shoplifting) is what brought to me the profession of human services–I have a PASSION to help guide young adults through this same pivotal period in life. When I went to court as a teenager, I didn’t have a clue. I could have easily had this reduced to a summary charge which would be eligible for expungement. Now I am haunted by this stupid impulsive teenage act as I search for a job trying to serve others in need. There are thousands of other stories like mine. Let’s PASS THIS BILL.