Ana Rubio is a historically stellar student! This 7th grader at LaTijera Academy of Excellence has been a straight A student throughout elementary and middle school. She has received numerous recognitions such as honor roll, principal’s list, student of the month, and awards for exceeding the grade level standard in ELA and Math on the state CAASPP test! She tells me her favorite subject is history because she loves learning about the past. She notes that studying history is important because history repeats itself and we must study history so we don’t make the same mistakes over and over again. Ana’s dream college is Harvard University, where she would like to study law. If she attends, Ana would be the first generation college student in her family. She aspires to become a criminal defense attorney one day and help the innocent, because she doesn't believe it's fair for people to go to jail for crimes they didn't commit. Ana says her greatest inspiration is her mom because she is a talented multitasker who cooks, sews, and is a general problem solver. Ana’s mom wanted to become a lawyer and that is also a motivation behind Ana seeking a career in law.
At LaTijera, Ana takes an active role in her educational experience. She participates in the Ladies of Majesty, which is a mentoring program that provides workshops and learning experiences designed to enrich the lives and well being of middle school girls. She tells me her favorite workshop was about the dangers of human trafficking, where she learned how to be safe and aware of her surroundings. Additionally, Ana has participated in the IUSD Musicians at Play program, where she has played violin in the orchestra and sang in a rock band. She was identified as a GATE student and meets once a month with other IUSD students to engage in extended learning activities. She says her favorite was a STEM workshop where she learned about the science of Pokemon. Ana was selected to join the LaTijera Honors Society, led by her science teacher Mr. Bowen. For their first community service project, they organized a hygiene kit donation drive, where Ana was awarded for collecting the second highest number of donations! She also is part of the Honor Society’s planning committee, which will mobilize members to tutor their peers during lunch. Ana also has plans to serve her community by helping care for animals at her local shelter, and would also like to volunteer at the Inglewood Public Library when it reopens from renovation. In her spare time, Ana enjoys reading fantasy novels, drawing people and characters, and playing Pokemon. Ana has this advice to share with her fellow IUSD students: “Work first, fun second, for good grades!”