Cindy Aguilar-Castaneda is the pride of Gonzales. During her four years at Gonzales High School, she did everything from tennis team to jazz band to classes at Hartnell College to the Gonzales Youth Council. And she did it all while battling lupus, an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. But thanks to Cindy’s resilience, she graduated as the salutatorian and is now attending UC-Berkeley.
1:38ACSA honored 21 students from California's public schools for overcoming tremendous adversity to get to where they are today at the Every Student Succeeding luncheon. Nearly 1,000 people gathered in S
2:50Learning a new language is always a challenge. But when Ali Hussain moved to the United States from Pakistan, he needed to learn two languages: English and American Sign Language. Born deaf, Ali had l
4:09Keanen and Keion Evans are the star mascots at Winship Middle School in Eureka. But there was a time when the twins could not be in a gym, let alone perform a high volume dance routine. Diagnosed with
3:27There is no good age to lose a parent. Daniel Morozov lost both his father and his mother in the span of just 24 hours. Finding a sense of normalcy would prove challenging. But thanks to the love and
2:24Marbella Cruz never thought she would live to see her 17th birthday. After a childhood filled with trauma, she battled depression and anxiety which led to multiple suicide attempts. But thanks to the
2:39Marbella Cruz never thought she would live to see her 17th birthday. But after multiple suicide attempts, she found the help she needed from therapists and educators at Imperial County Office of Educa
2:46Richard Montes was overwhelmed when he arrived at Whitney High School as a seventh grader. After all, Whitney High is one of the top schools in the country. But after overcoming a traumatic childhood
3:59Haley Keeling will never forget the first time she held her daughter, Dalia. She was just sixteen years old when she gave birth. This beautiful story looks at a teenage mother from Vislia Unified Scho
2:11Leo Chavez was just six years old when his father murdered his mother. Leo was left in the care of his 22-year-old sister, Katia. But to overcome this tragedy, he would need help from the entire commu
3:08Congratulations to Alex Arrivillaga from Ramona High in Riverside Unified School District for winning the ACSA Region 19 Every Student Succeeding award. Alexis battled severe anorexia that landed her
2:50Llisel Badajos has never been one to shy from a challenge. She was a member of both the wrestling team and cheerleading squad at Half Moon Bay High. She is an English language learner and now a first-
2:24Congratulations to Armando Wright for winning the ACSA Region 6 Every Student Succeeding award! Armando battled with severe bouts of anxiety and depression. But now Armando is using his own experience
2:18Congratulations to Jammy Harris from Fresno Unified School District who is the winner of the ACSA Region 9 Every Student Succeeding award! Jammy lost both her mother and father by the time she was jus
3:18Congratulations to Chloe Blanchette who completed two years of school in just 9 months and graduated from Albert Powell Continuation High in Yuba City. It’s been quite the journey for Chloe who watche
3:08Congratulations to Manny Moreno from Anaheim Union High School District for winning the ACSA Every Student Succeeding award in ACSA Region 17. Manny overcame severe anger issues thanks to the staff at
2:42Congratulations to Chino High student Valeria Montes who donned cap and gown and graduated this year after surviving a traumatic brain injury and post-concussion syndrome due to a bike accident and la
3:08Congratulations to Cory Suzuki in Los Angeles Unified School District who was named class valedictorian this year at Gardena High. Cory was diagnosed with autism at age 4 and overcame many obstacles e
3:06Congratulations to Claremont Unified School District student Alexandra Savage who was diagnosed with #medulloblastoma brain cancer just before starting 4th grade at Condit Elementary. Now in remission
1:59Congratulations to Rio Americano graduate Jelan Gentry, who came out at 15, overcame homelessness and decided live life as his truest self. Jelan is the ACSA Region 3 winner of the 2019 ACSA Every Stu
5:47Keannu Linnell was Mr. All-American. He was a three-sport athlete including quarterback at Lathrop High. But in December of 2016, Keannu was diagnosed with brain cancer. Find out how he overcame insur
