10/27/2026
Every young person deserves to believe in their future. Retired DEA Special Agent Rocky Herron brought that message to students and community members across Shasta County, speaking to diverse audiences with one powerful reminder: You have options. You have agency. And every day, you have the opportunity to make choices that help build the life you want.
Rocky spoke to nearly 2,000 eighth-graders in large assemblies, as well as smaller groups at Anderson New Tech, Mountain Lakes High School, Pioneer High School, and Tri Mountain Academy inside the Shasta County Juvenile Rehabilitation Facility. Regardless of the audience, his message remained the same: Our past doesn't have to define our future, and every young person deserves the opportunity to make choices that move their life forward.
Rocky also shared his expertise as a speaker at our Substance Use Prevention Summit and our Start the Conversation event, helping bring community members together around supporting young people and having honest conversations about substance use prevention.
His message is a reminder that prevention is about more than saying no to drugs. It's about connection, helping young people recognize their choices, and making sure they know there are people who believe in them.
As Rocky asks students: "Who chooses your future?"
The answer is theirs. And as a community, we can help them see the possibilities ahead.
