This story is part of a series of profiles the Ventura County Office of Education is presenting about outstanding graduating seniors in the Class of 2022.
When schools were closed due to the pandemic, Alex Loza decided to make good use of the extra time he had on his hands. He got a job delivering meals to the elderly and remembers how some of the recipients were so grateful they were brought to tears. “That really made me feel good about myself,” he says. “It made me realize the good I was doing in my community.” Alex says he’s inspired to give back because of the opportunities he’s had as the son of a single mom who immigrated from Mexico. It’s an experience he calls his “beautiful journey.”
Alex started the second grade speaking only Spanish, but he quickly learned English thanks to a very caring uncle. “Every weekend, we would ride our bikes to Barnes and Noble,” he recalls. “He would show me the little kids’ books in English, and he would read them to me. And that’s how, little by little, I started getting comfortable both reading and speaking in English.” His uncle took it a step further by bringing his young nephew along to the adult education classes he attended. “So, I would be this little kid surrounded by adults listening to what the teacher had to say.”
Alex will be graduating from Foothill Technology High School, a magnet school in Ventura where students are admitted through a lottery system. Initially, he didn’t want to go there, but his mom insisted. He now says it was the best decision ever. “It’s the best four years I’ve ever had in my short life,” he says. Alex got involved in student government, played on the soccer team, and participated in a wide range of activities. “Every time a parent asks me if their kids should go here, I tell them it’s an amazing school. The teachers and all the activities are just great.”
This fall, Alex will be attending Cal Lutheran where he’ll major in criminal justice and play for the university’s soccer team. He hopes to find a career related to law enforcement or criminal justice as his beautiful journey through life moves to the next stage.
More Inspiring Stories about the Ventura County Class of 2022
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Maggie Melendez - Simi Valley High School
First-Generation College Student Has Her Eye on Career with the FBI
Maggie Melendez’s road to high school graduation hasn’t been an easy one. The daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, she started school without knowing a word of English. And at her young age, she’s struggled with health issues, including celiac disease and an ovarian tumor that had to be surgically removed.
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Hans Bach-Nguyen - Adolfo Camarillo High School
Harvard-Bound Grad is an Advocate for Equity in Education
He hasn’t even graduated from Adolfo Camarillo High School yet, but Hans Bach-Nguyen has built an enviable resume that spans five pages. In addition to stellar grades and test scores, it lists an impressive array of activities and achievements.
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Alex Loza - Foothill Technology High School
Student’s “Beautiful Journey” is Leading to a Bright Future
When schools were closed due to the pandemic, Alex Loza decided to make good use of the extra time he had on his hands. He got a job delivering meals to the elderly and remembers how some of the recipients were so grateful they were brought to tears.
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Nikita Manyak - Oak Park High School
Teen Mental Health is a Priority for this Accomplished Grad
With all the pressure to make friends, get good grades and get into college, high school is often a stressful experience. Throw in a worldwide pandemic that’s lasted for years, and it’s no surprise that students are feeling it. “Especially with COVID, everybody has been so much more stressed,” says Nikita Manyak, who recently graduated from Oak Park High School.
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Carolina Martinez - Santa Paula High School
Daughter of Migrant Workers is Headed to UC Berkeley
Carolina Martinez will be the first person in her family to attend a four-year university – and not just any university. She was admitted to the University of California, Berkeley, which is consistently ranked one of the nation’s best. “I started screaming, and my family thought something was wrong,” she recalls of the moment she got the good news.
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Kendall Brown - Thousand Oaks High School
This Grad Bounces Back when Things Don’t Go as Planned
Kendall Brown learned about loss at a young age when his father was infected by a life-threatening flesh-eating bacteria. The doctors said the only hope for survival was amputation. But his dad, who had re-learned to walk after surviving a plane crash when he was in the military, couldn’t bear to give up his legs.
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Nate Padilla - Phoenix School
He’s Inspired to Teach Thanks to the Support He Received at School
Nate Padilla had a difficult family life as a boy. After his mom and dad split up, he bounced between his parents’ distant homes and by the time he got to middle school, he was angry. “It was always easier to be angry than any other emotion,” he says.
