Francisca Juarez

Huntington Beach Adult School

Nominated in 2023

My student of the year is Francisca Juarez. She is an ideal student and classmate. When her friends are not in class, she asks for extra copies of the handouts for her friends. She loans out her notes for her absent friends to miss. She contacts the teacher when she is absent to make sure that she does not miss any schoolwork. She walks to school every day, even in bad weather.

Francisca came to the US in 1990 with help from her aunt. She started as a clothes factory worker. In 1998, she started working at McDonald’s in Westminster and is still employed by them. She worked hard, and in 2008, she became a manager. Her supervisor stated that Francisca needed to improve her English, so she enrolled in HBAS in 2019. Juarez started as a level 1B student with Evelyn Jackson. She was promoted each year at HBAS and now Francisca is a level 4 student.

Juarez is also a single mother of one daughter, Jessica. She has always put her daughter before herself. Francisca put her daughter through college and now her daughter is a PE teacher for the Fountain Valley School District. Now that Francisca’s daughter is grown, Francisca is focusing on herself. She has greatly improved her English and before this school year is over, she will be enrolling in the Spanish GED program.

Francisca lights up a room. She has a natural instinct to help others. Juarez is engaged in class, asks helpful questions, and never says no when anyone asks her for assistance. She is a very determined, smart, hard-working, loving woman who enhances the lives of everyone she touches. Francisca is the ideal student.