Everyone that knew Stacy Valadez as a young child could see she was a very determined girl. When she made her mind up on what she was going to do, there was little to stop her. That worked to her advantage growing up in America as a Spanish speaker who wanted to learn and make sense of the world.

Even when starting kindergarten at South Elementary School, Stacy used what she learned everyday to support her classroom learning and her language development. Valadez had bilingual teachers from kindergarten to second grade that would teach her in both Spanish and English.

Valadez recalls Mr. Olivarez’s first grade class most fondly from this time.

“Mr. Olivarez had this really pretty couch where he would read to us in both Spanish and English. He would then have us sit on the couch and also read. Sitting on the couch made us feel important and it made me feel like Mr. Olivarez really did want us to grow and succeed.”

At the end of second grade, Valadez took a test to see how much she had learned and progressed in the English language. She passed the test which allowed her to start the third grade in an all-English class.

Looking back, Valadez is grateful to South Elementary for building a strong foundation in her first and second languages.

“During the time I was learning in both Spanish and English, I learned a lot more about my personal (first) language. Even to this day, the knowledge I gained helps me communicate with my family better and I can write and speak proficiently in both Spanish and English.”

Not only did South Elementary build this strong foundation for Stacy, but the staff there made her feel supported and cared about. If she missed school, the staff at South would always check-in with her and see if everything was okay. They also always encouraged her to reach her full potential.

“They would always tell my classmates and I that we could do anything.,” Stacy said. “As I grew older, I always remembered that. I knew that if I set my mind to something, I really could achieve it.”

It was these words that pushed Valadez to apply to college during her senior year at Brighton High School in 2020. She was accepted at Regis University and is currently a sophomore, pursuing a degree in nursing.

As a first-generation college student, Valadez had to figure out college applications, scholarship applications, college registration, not to mention actually taking her first college course.

“I was very excited to go to college, but at the same time I was very scared. I had to learn everything about this process by myself, as I had no one to guide me through it. As tough as this was, it also taught me that I am capable of doing anything,” she said. “I can now help my siblings when they reach this point in their lives so that they don’t have to go through this alone.”

Valadez’s determination and perseverance is admirable. But add to that, the reality of doing all this during a pandemic. Impressive.

Her first year at Regis University had to be completed fully online, due to COVID-19. This was something Valadez had not expected, but she still forged ahead and earned her way onto the Dean’s list for her outstanding grades during her first year at Regis.

Valadez is on track to reach her goal of becoming a pediatric nurse — a long-time goal she hatched the first time she stepped into a health clinic and saw herself there, with a stethoscope.

“I want to help my future patients in the weakest and greatest moments of their life. I want to represent my Hispanic community and be there for them by educating and helping them decide what to do with their health,” she said. “I specifically want to work in pediatrics so I can work with kids that are barely learning to speak English, just like I was in those early years. I want to provide them the comfort of having a nurse that knows what it’s like to be in that spot.”

Valadez acknowledges how instrumental South Elementary was in shaping her into who she’s become today. She is proud to represent South Elementary as well as 27J Schools, which is where she received her k-12 education.

“I believe in 27J Schools because they helped me reach my full potential.”