Sunnyside High School in rural Washington faces many tough issues common to urban schools but has shown a remarkable ability to help students at risk for academic failure. The Sunnyside Intervention Program was developed for students with a history of poor academic performance, many of whom were involved in dangerous activities, including gangs. These students worked to retrieve credits in order to graduate on time, disengage from damaging environments and relationships, and begin to look to the future for what they wanted in life and how they were going to get there. In addition to addressing risk factors and cultivating resilience, the Intervention Program also provided opportunities for students to experience meaningful relationships, develop visions for the future, and participate in personally rewarding academic and extracurricular activities. After a review of salient research on risk and resilience, those dimensions are explored through student perceptions. Resilience research and student interviews reveal how relationships, a vision of the future, and meaningful participation in learning can transform troubled lives.