Bowman High School student Dani Dominguez was recently presented the top award from the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Every Student Succeeding luncheon, which honored over 70 students from the Southern California region.

The award honors students who overcome challenges, be those physical, emotional, or in some cases from a difficult home life.

For Dani, it was her home life. When she was three her mother tried to change her name and give her away. She then moved from family member to family member, never feeling the stability of a good home life. She was moving so often that by the time she got to Bowman it was her eighth high school.

“I’ve always had a lot of negative people around and I always hated that and didn’t want that to be me,” Dani said. “The people at Bowman really showed how they cared about my future. They told me to work hard for myself. I never really felt comfortable asking for help until I got to Bowman. When I needed money for the bus, someone gave me a dollar. When I needed a job someone helped me get a job. The stability helped me and I was finally able to enjoy my high school experience.”

Dani got involved with ASB at Bowman and started working harder to earn extra credit. As a continuation school that focusses on getting students the credits they need to graduate, Dani was able to work hard for extra credit and is on track to graduate at the end of January. In essence, Dani will graduate a semester early and then enroll at COC.

“She has become a strong leader on campus,” said Bowman Principal Eran Zeevi. “When you see her, you always see a smile and a great attitude. She radiates positivity all around.”

Dani was presented a check for $600 at the ACSA luncheon, and she will receive an additional $1,000 as she will be a state representative next fall at the ACSA Leadership Conference in San Diego. She is also representing the region as one of 19 finalists for the state award this spring.