Grade: 12 School: Glen View High School District: Beaumont USD ACSA region: 19 Tiyani Ragoschke has battled adversity her entire life. At the age of 15, she ran away from home to escape a physically abusive household. She turned to drugs and alcohol to escape the pain from her home environment. Tiyani arrived at Glen View High School in need of a fresh start and a way to recover credits. Thanks to a supportive staff and a loving foster mother, she forged a new path toward success. And in June, Tiyani graduated from high school with future plans to become a photographer.

What does it mean to you to win the ACSA Every Student Succeeding award? I was very shocked when I won the award. I had no idea I had been nominated. When I found out, I was excited to tell my parents. Winning the award made me feel really proud of myself.

For the people who don’t know your story, can you share some of the challenges you faced throughout your childhood and how you overcame them? I didn’t have the best childhood. And because of that, I ended up turning to drugs and alcohol for an escape from reality. I overcame that with a lot of help. I got into foster care. And my foster mom helped me with everything. My principal helped me with everything. And I have a bunch of brand-new friends who have helped me a lot, too.

How much did your foster mom and foster family help change your trajectory in life? My mom just told me that I was loved and that sometimes not everything was going to go my way. But I just needed to trust her and know that I was loved and safe with her.

What role did your school community play in helping you find success? When I first came to Glen View High, I wasn’t really happy about it. But my principal, Dr. Carr, helped me a lot just by talking to me and being there for me. My teachers helped me a lot, too, by letting me know I could graduate early and all the things I could do at Glen View.

What advice would you give to students facing similar challenges? What’s your message to them? Change will come eventually. It might not come right away, but slowly and surely, it will come. It’s just going to take some time to get there.