★ Celebrating Francisco V. – A Senior’s Story of Self-Advocacy & Determination
Francisco showed up at Westbridge for his senior year. One year. That was the deal he made with himself, with his mom, and with us: get through senior year strong, and figure out what comes next. He did both.
One Year, Done Right. Switching schools as a senior is hard. Most students don’t try. Francisco did, kept Honor Roll grades the whole way, and didn’t miss a beat.
What He Pushed Through. He had a rough year on top of all that. Real-life things, the kind that knock other students off course. He kept showing up. He kept turning in work. He stayed in REACH. That’s not a small thing, and we noticed.
“Francisco demonstrates each day that, regardless of disability, success is attainable through effort, perseverance, and self-belief.”
The Plan That Came Together – His mom never stopped advocating for him. Brian Coya and Nicole Miranda at REACH never stopped working with him. Francisco never stopped working. The result: he’s been accepted to UTI Bloomfield, starting in July, where he’ll study automotive technology. He’s eyeing motorcycle repair and performance after that.
Francisco practicing precision techniques.
Francisco working with Sam Pena of Wrap Time LLC.
Other students see Francisco. They see what he pulled off in a single year. That matters more than any award we could give him. We’re proud of him, and we’re not done watching what he does next.
Francisco with mentor Xen Sams, host of iHeart Radio’s syndicated podcast A Moment of Xen, at the 710 WOR studio.
