Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva made her first school visits to give out certificates this Monday. Her itinerary included Fourth Avenue Junior High and R. Pete Woodard Junior High, but her very first stop was Yuma High School.
Grijalva wanted to honor two students, Jared Nuñez and Jennavecia Guzman.
When she approached the school, she asked for students who exemplify “leadership and civic engagement — kind of, like, what they've done on their campuses and not just a 4.0.”
Grijalva explained that while she knows many students in Yuma have contributed a lot to their community, she’s happy to show some special support and acknowledgement, too.
“Some of these students are juggling a lot more than what's on the surface,” she said. “And so the fact that they're able to still give so much back to their school and their community here, it says a lot about their leadership. So I'm glad to acknowledge it.”
Both Nuñez and Guzman are getting ready to graduate this month, and they’ve worked hard to reach this point.
“[It] feels really, really good,” Nuñez said. “I’m really proud of myself for getting this award, and I just want to thank my teachers, my family and everybody that's helped me along this way to achieve this award.”
Nuñez is very active in welding, where he’s competed at the state level. Currently, he’s working on a grill for a trailer with his instructor.
He’s also on the soccer team and the soccer club. When he’s not playing, he’s helping out at the concession stands.
As soon as he graduates, he’ll be starting classes at Arizona Western College as an agriculture major.
“We're a big ag city here,and it's just interesting the fact how plants grow and the irrigation, the pest control and everything. So yeah, I think it's just my interest,” Nuñez said. “I hope to own my own agriculture company later on, hopefully in irrigation. That's my company that I want to make.”
Guzman is also beginning classes at AWC this year. She plans to study business accounting since she’s good with numbers. Currently, she’s involved with Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and she’s played volleyball, basketball and track for Yuma High.
Although she’s still imagining what she’d like her future to hold, she hadn’t conceived that congressional acknowledgement could be in the cards.
“I was really shocked because I didn't — me, personally, I didn't think I worked that hard this year. Like I really didn't think this year was my year if I was being honest,” she said.
Guzman elaborated that she had a lot of high school credits to finish this year because she went to a charter school that didn’t work out and then an online school — but a lot of her transcript wouldn’t be transferable for college, so she finished her remaining credit this year in a matter of months.
When she got the call about Grijalva, her family was very proud, but she still couldn’t believe it.
“I didn't think it was going to happen, but it happened!” she said.
Nuñez and Guzman struggled a bit with understanding why they were chosen, but to Cristal Ramirez, a secretary at the counseling office, the reasons were obvious.
“They are both great students, they have great hearts, they're very disciplined,” she said. “I have the pleasure of having them in my office as TA's (teacher assistants), and I've gotten to know them a little bit more — of their personal struggles that they encountered during high school.
“They have excellent grades and they're involved in activities outside of academics, so I believe that they were great candidates for this award.”
One example she provided was that Jared Nuñez spends almost two hours with her regularly.
“He's my fourth period TA, so he stays here and doesn't take lunch because we've been working on scholarships,” she said. “He has a set focus of what he's trying to accomplish.”
Another example Ramirez cited was Jennavecia Guzman’s dedication to finishing her classes.
“She comes from a history of struggle and just seeing her sitting here, finishing her classes and keeping up her grades while trying to make up other grades that she needed? It's just, I mean, there's no stopping her,” Ramirez concluded. “She knows what she wants, and she wants to break the cycle and go and pursue something better for her and her family.”
Both Guzman and Nuñez are on track to graduate from Yuma High on Friday, May 22, and after Monday’s visit, they’ll be doing so with a recognition that highlights the work behind the scenes — the kind Adelita Grijalva said she was looking for.
—
Reporting for this article is supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation.
