Santa Barbara High School student Destiny Hernandez recently won an Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Award.
In 2018, as the oldest of five in a struggling family and just 16 years old, Destiny stepped into the role of caregiver for her younger siblings and financial contributor by taking a restaurant job, all on top of attending high school.
"I would say I’ve had my ups and downs in being a good academic student. That was a big factor was my support system. Luckily, I was encouraged by Anne," Hernandez said.
When Destiny's grades and attendance began to decline, Hope School District Superintendent Dr. Anne Hubbard reached out and gave her invaluable support. Since then, Destiny has been on the road to overcoming challenges and getting ahead in her educational journey.
With Hubbard’s mentorship, and her unwavering determination to succeed, Destiny brought up her grades. Then Hubbard nominated her for the Association of California School Administrators Award.
Each year the ACSA recognizes 19 Pre-K to adult students in each region who’ve overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve success.
"She is making a difference in this world and I have 1,000% faith in that. I just love her to pieces," Hubbard said.
