Grade: 12 School: Anderson New Technology HS District: Anderson Union HSD ACSA region: 1 Ramiro Uribe-Arias knows that nothing can prepare you for the loss of a parent. When he was wrapping up his sophomore year at Anderson New Technology High, his mother unexpectedly passed away. Devastated and unmotivated, Ramiro returned to school in the fall. His grades suffered and he failed several classes. But the community at Anderson New Technology rallied around Ramiro. He enrolled in the Administration of Justice program where he found a new sense of purpose. And in June, Ramiro fulfilled his late mother’s dream by graduating from high school.

How did you react when you learned you won the ACSA Every Student Succeeding award? I was really happy. I was so humbled and appreciative of this award. Honestly, it didn’t cross my mind that I would win. I just really appreciated the opportunity of being recognized in the first place on the county level. And I was really grateful.

You’ve been through a lot throughout your time in high school. How have you found a way to cope with everything? It was very shocking when I lost my mother. For a while, I didn’t care at all about my academics. I actually failed several classes. I needed to realize that my mother would want me to be successful. So, I would need to work hard and fix my mistakes and get back all of the credits that I was missing. That loss helped me learn that sometimes you just need to keep going.

Can you share what your mother meant to you? She meant everything to me. I didn’t realize how important she was to me until after she was gone. And it hurt me for a long time knowing that I could have been better when she was still here. That doesn’t mean that I can’t be better now. And I know that she would want me to be better for me. She was such an amazing person. ... She was my hero.

What role did your school community play in your journey? One of the best things about my school, Anderson New Technology, is it’s a smaller school. So there’s more of a personal connection with the teachers. And it’s easier to talk to them and ask them when you need help. If you’re having a bad day, they’ll listen to you and talk you through it. And they’ll be there for you.

For students who have dealt with grief, what would your message be to them? I would tell them to look for help because I don’t know if I could have done it on my own. You need to keep going and you need to find those people in your life who are there for you and who push you in the right direction. You need to find those people who care about you and motivate you and stick with them.