For the students at the LAUSD 10th annual Recognition Ceremony Monday, school was their safe haven as many persevered through homelessness and poverty.
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Nathaniel Spencer, a soon-to-be graduate from Northridge Academy, said he did not have a stable home growing up and relied on public transportion to get to school.
"It's a lot to finally be able to graduate and move on and get through with my life," said Spencer.
It's a simlilar story for senior Roberto Velasquez.
"It was pretty tough because I didn't have as much support growing up as I did now, " he said.
Senior Lilian Garcia is another example of a child overcoming obstacles. She is the first in her family to graduate from high school. She was raised by her grandmother as her mother continues her battle with addiction.
"I wouldn't think that I would be crossing that stage in the first place," said Garcia.
All of the students — about 200, the most in the ceremony's history — received support through LAUSD's homeless education office.
During the event, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho shared his own personal experience of homelessness and adversity.
"Education turned a poor, homeless kid, who slept under a bridge, into a teacher, a principal and a superintendent," he said. "You know what pain is like. You know what the cold is like. You know what abandonment is like. But you also know what hope is all about."
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass also admired the students' accomplishments and pushed them to continue their tenacity.
"You might have had to study under difficult circumstances. You might have to work moer than one job while going to school," she said. "But whatever challenge who faced, you kept moving forward."
Spencer said he plains to study welding in college. As for Velasquez, he wants to study auto machanics. And Garcia will attned UCLA and study pre-law.
"It's a reflection of all the hard work I put in," said Garcia.
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