Senior Success Story: Atwater High senior turns painful experience into purpose

ATWATER, Calif. (KFSN) -- Andrea Sandoval is simply a elder astatine Atwater High, counting down her last days of school.

"I don't deliberation it's going to deed maine until graduation," Andrea said.

She's spent the past 4 years heavy progressive successful extracurricular activities, including Health Occupation Students of America, skills laboratory and basketball.

The squad celebrated a large milestone this outpouring arsenic they brought location the school's archetypal conception rubric since 1988.

"I conscionable consciousness similar my elder twelvemonth has been the item of my precocious schoolhouse career," Andrea said.

Her gentle demeanor doesn't amusement the afloat communicative of what she's been done to get here.

She's been raised by a azygous mother, an migrant from Mexico.

Her begetter passed distant from a bosom onslaught erstwhile she was conscionable 4 years old.

"It was benignant of unexpected, but helium was having issues before. He conscionable didn't privation to spell to the hospital," Andrea said.

Her ma has worked aggregate jobs to instrumentality attraction of the family.

Her oldest brother, Santiago, besides stepped up to help.

"This is my member and me. He would ever instrumentality america to Yosemite and helium was truthful blessed successful the picture," Andrea said.

Andrea says helium was much similar a begetter fig than a brother.

In 2020, she mislaid that begetter fig erstwhile Santiago died successful a car accident.

Andrea was successful 8th grade.

After the crash, her household was contacted by a caregiver who stopped astatine the country to help.

"But we're grateful for her, due to the fact that she said that she was capable to clasp him successful her arms, and that she was praying for him," Andrea said. "I consciousness similar that brought closure to us, conscionable to cognize that helium wasn't truly unsocial successful his last moments."

The compassion the pistillate showed Santiago is what inspired Andrea to articulation the Patient Care Pathway erstwhile she entered precocious school.

Her instructor, Raj Mehat, says, arsenic a student, Andrea has been quiet, reserved and kind.

"You would ne'er person known the struggles that she went done unless you truly asked. Honestly, you ne'er cognize however good she's doing unless you inquire her, truthful she's conscionable a precise humble person," Mehat said.

She says that portion her classes gave her purpose, she and her ma recovered an flight done basketball.

"I consciousness similar that was capable to distract her, and I consciousness similar it was capable to distract maine too," Andrea said.

Her coach, JR Davis, says he's watched Andrea's assurance and accomplishment physique passim the years, complimenting her affirmative cognition nary substance what was happening.

"She ne'er complains astir anything, I mean, the bully oregon bad," Davis said.

In conscionable a fewer weeks, each of her hard enactment volition wage off.

She's graduating astatine the apical of her class.

This summer, she'll person her Community Health Worker Specialized Training Certificate done UC Merced.

She'll instrumentality her authorities boards to officially go a certified nursing assistant.

She says her struggles person guided her and volition proceed to bash truthful successful the adjacent chapter.

"It conscionable truly taught maine that I request to bask beingness to the fullest -- to alteration the satellite the astir I tin and conscionable beryllium benignant to others due to the fact that that's going to beryllium my legacy, you know," Andrea said.

Andrea is headed to Stanislaus State successful the fall.

She'll initially large successful biology and erstwhile she has each the required classes, she hopes to use to the nursing program.

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