Humans of Green Dot

Parent

College Readiness is a Family Affair

December 11, 2019

When my oldest son came to this school he was struggling academically and was very timid, but the teachers helped him grow several grade levels and boosted his self esteem and confidence.”

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Freshmen

How Robert Helps Freshmen Navigate The First Year of College

November 12, 2019

As a freshman and a commuter student, Robert Cunningham struggled with establishing connections on campus and adjusting to the culture at his college. Now a sophomore, he mentors recent Green Dot graduates and helps them discover the best path to academic success.

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Principal

Tiana Diggs: Leading with Love and High Expectations

November 5, 2019

Few people are surprised that Tiana Diggs is now a principal at the school where her teaching career began. Though if you asked Diggs if she ever imagined that she’d be a principal the answer might surprise you. “Absolutely not, I don’t know if that sounds crazy but I didn’t,” laughed Tiana Diggs, Principal at Ánimo James B. Taylor Charter Middle School (AJBT).

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Sandra Estrada: My Road to College

September 24, 2019

In her junior year at the University of California, Los Angeles we spoke with Ánimo Leadership Charter High School alumna Sandra Estrada about her road to college and where this journey might lead her once she graduates.

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Peace Ikediuba: Don’t Knock Yourself out of the Game

September 18, 2019

“At a certain point in my life I stopped thinking about college because I knew I couldn’t afford it and it didn’t seem logical to even put myself through the process,” reflected Peace Ikediuba, an Ánimo South Los Angeles Charter High School alumna.

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college counseling

Why This Alumna Became a Counselor at Her Alma Mater

September 10, 2019

“When I became a counselor many of my friends and even family members would ask me, ‘Do you have a couch where you ask students how they’re doing while you scribble notes in a notepad?’” chuckled Stacie Cruz, a counselor at Ánimo Leadership Charter High School.

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Why This Founding Green Dot Student Came Back to South LA

September 3, 2019

Daisy Estevez, a social studies teacher at Ánimo Mae Jemison Charter Middle School, became a teacher in hopes of changing the lives and trajectories of students. Estevez was inspired by her teachers at Ánimo Ralph Bunche Charter High School (ARB) who helped change her life when she was a founding student in 2006.

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How Math Will Help This Future Nurse Practitioner

August 27, 2019

“People always joke that the Pythagorean theorem isn’t going to help you in the real world,” chuckled Ashley Perez, a 2019 Ánimo College Prep Academy alumna.

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Band

How Marching Band Changed This Alumnus’s Life

August 20, 2019

“The Locke band has given me a purpose,” reflected Danny Velasquez, Alain LeRoy Locke College Preparatory Academy alumnus. “It’s made me more appreciative of music, taught me a sense of responsibility, and has really shown me the importance of collaborating with others.”

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Compton

Ánimo Compton Reignites Students’ Love for Learning

August 12, 2019

“When Brianna Chavez began attending Ánimo Compton Charter School in her seventh grade year she was shocked at how different it was from her previous school. “I was in world history class and I was stuck on an assignment and my teacher just came up to me and said ‘Do you need help?’

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Inglewood

Rising So That Others Can: Meet Alumna Yaritza Gonzalez

August 5, 2019

During the 1980s, my parents migrated from Mexico to California in search of better opportunities. In California, I grew up in the fields of Oxnard and the streets of Inglewood, where I witnessed members of my community discriminated against, deported, jailed, and murdered.

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College

Why This Senior Almost Didn’t Apply to His Dream Schools

July 22, 2019

Justin Villeraldo once had a strained relationship with school. “Before coming here I would mess around in class and do just enough work so I could culminate,” recalled Villeraldo. “I hated English class the most; I wasn’t able to focus, and I wouldn’t try.”

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Green Dot Public Schools

1149 S. Hill St., Ste 600
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Phone: (323) 565-1600

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