Cadet Francisco Lazo

Raised in Los Angeles, Francisco Lazo would go to class, but he wouldn't pay attention.

"I didn't really get anything out of class, just go to see my friends," he said. "But I didn't like where I was going."

Lazo, 16, is one of the cadets at Sunburst Youth Academy that CBS News has been following throughout their time in the program.

"At first I was like, 'What did I get myself into?'" Lazo said. "It was a wake-up call, so I put my best effort towards it to show I wanted to be here and change my life."