About the Film

Years ago, Carissa was abandoned in the lobby of the juvenile hall in Fresno. She ran away from group homes and ended up on the streets. Homeless and alone, she begged and stole to feed herself.

Foster care ignored her. The juvenile justice system failed her.

With no one to turn to, she was taken to "Motel Drive," a street in Fresno known for prostitution, and told what to do.

She was twelve years old.

Amazingly, Carissa turned her life around. She graduated from UCLA in June, 2007, with both a law degree and an MBA. Today she is a national spokesperson on the issue of youth homelessness for Virgin Mobile's RE*Generation campaign. She is also starting a non-profit foundation and developing a fund for community economic development in Fresno.

A classmate at UCLA Anderson, David Sauvage, has made Carissa, a documentary about her life. He and Carissa traveled to Fresno in the summer of 2006 and captured the best and worst of her journey, to see what can be learned from it.

They came back with some astonishing material.

Sponsored by Virgin Mobile and the Los Angeles Dodgers Dream Foundation, the film has been having great success on the festival circuit, winning the Jury Prize in its category five times. Carissa was also one of four short films selected by the International Documentary Association for Docuweek, a prestigious theatrical showcase held at the Arclight in Los Angeles that qualifies documentaries for Academy Award consideration.