Beginning tomorrow (Thursday, June 9), thousands of Sacramento City Unified School District seniors will don caps and gowns for joyful – and sometimes tearful – graduation ceremonies.

Many of the young men and women who will be crossing stages throughout the city have heartwarming stories of struggle and triumph, as they fought such obstacles as poverty, loss of family members, peer pressure and language barriers to make it to their graduation day.

SCUSD is the 12th largest public school district in California and serves 47,000 students. Here are the stories of some graduating teens that have not only overcome their circumstances, but are moving on to some of the most prestigious colleges in America. (Media outlets interested in interviewing any of these amazing students can contact the SCUSD Communications Office at 643-9042.)

Deirdre Regina Holloway – John F. Kennedy High School

Deirdre Regina Holloway was born in Los Angeles in 1992, the youngest of three children and the child that always had a smile on her face.
When Deirdre was seven, she was taken away from her mother and placed in the foster care system. She and her sister lived in three foster homes until they were placed in the care of their mother’s cousin.

During that time, Deirdre’s mother passed away. Even though the death of her mother took a toll on her, she continued to be the girl with a smile on her face. As she grew older, Deirdre shined in school.

She earned straight A’s in middle school and was valedictorian of her class at Los Angeles Academy Middle School in 2007. She continued her success into high school when she attended Thomas Jefferson High School. In the middle of her freshman year, Deirdre and her family moved to Sacramento and she started attending John F. Kennedy High School.