In 1987, with shaggy long brown hair and black Judas Priest shirt, young Craig Rabalais arrived at high school. Not wanting to be held in by parameters, Rabalais looked for any way to seem unusual.

“I was kind of on the outside, against the grain,” Rabalais said. “If it was unpopular, I was doing it.”

Not liking to be controlled, Rabalais had a hard time keeping a job. During high school alone, he was fired from three Little Caesar’s, two McDonald’s, Burger King and Shoney’s.

“I cared less about the guy who owned the restaurant,” Rabalais said. “I hated [them].”

Graduating from high school without a job Rabalais looked for a way to pay for his college expenses.

“My head was spinning the last spring semester,” Rabalais said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

Even though he hated to be held back by rules, Rabalais joined the National Guard directly after high school. The military offered a secure future, providing college tuition.

“If I didn’t like parameters or lines, the military was the last thing I wanted to do,” Rabalais said.

Although Rabalais loathed being controlled, he worked through his six years in the military and found reasons to be proud of his branch.

“The Berlin Wall fell a couple years after I joined,” Rabalais said. “I think that’s why it fell. They knew I was there.”

Honorably discharged from the National Guard, Rabalais started college. With everything going great, 4.0 and all, Rabalais met his girlfriend. Falling in love with this girl created problems Rabalais would have to tackle in the future.

“I had a lot of momentum, but everything in one semester came crumbling down,” Rabalais said. “I fell into a funk.”

Rabalais lost all grip on his schooling after his girlfriend decided to break up with him. He started missing classes and completely gave up.

“Girls in my late teens were devastating,” Rabalais said. “Love to [me] was possessiveness. I was so love stricken. I about died.”

Finally pulling his way out of this emotional rut, Rabalais graduated from college with two unsightly D’s. After college he found another lady that didn’t break his heart. He eventually got married and had a son. Rabalais then started teaching in Louisiana and eventually moved to Texas.  He transferred his way of life to his teaching.

“I hate desk work. It makes me go insane,” Rabalais said. “Instead of sitting there talking about how a bill becomes a law, let’s talk about how the government is now.”

As Rabalais grows older, he still hates being constricted and loves metal music. Even if he tries to change himself, he cannot be changed, not even by age.

“I’m still a kid, I do stupid things, I still watch stupid things,” Rabalais said. “I should be slower [and] wiser, and I need to mellow out, but I can’t.”