June 2022 Student Spotlight: Meet Dani
June 27, 2022
Meet Dani Raymond who just recently graduated from Yuma Catholic High School with an unweighted 3.96 GPA. She comes from a family of seven and is the middle child of the five siblings.
Dani has been attending private school since she was in second grade with the help of scholarships from the Arizona Leadership Foundation. Dani’s favorite subject used to be math, but since attending high school, science has quickly become her favorite. Her science classes have been some of her more challenging courses, yet some of the best in terms of what she learned in preparation for college. By dissecting worms, frogs, sharks, and pigs she realized that a position in a science related field is the career direction she wants to pursue. In addition to graduating from Yuma Catholic this past spring, she was able to complete dual enrollment and earn her Associates Degree from a community college in Yuma. This made her the first person in her family to graduate with a college degree. She will be entering the University of Arizona with her general requirements completed and be taking her core classes, while she works towards her Bachelor’s Degree in Family Studies. She then plans to go on to earn a Master’s Degree in Nursing.
“My parents have always worked hard to keep my younger siblings and I in a private school, which was best for our education,” She stated when talking about her family. Her father is the primary source of income and her mother supported them with an additional job. For four years her “nana” lived with them and the family supported her financially as well.
Dani was one of the student speakers at our Annual Arizona Leadership Foundation Donor Breakfast in May. She presented about her story and her future plans and how the Arizona Leadership Foundation has made an impact on her life. She had this to say about her scholarships, “My parents never thought that they would be able to send us to a private school but thanks to the Arizona Leadership Foundation, my siblings and I have excelled in our education and will continue to thrive in our community.”
Terra Stallworth, Director of Counseling at Yuma Catholic had these words of praise to say about Dani, “She is a responsible and mature young lady. She possesses an independent spirit and is driven by her goals. Dani possesses grit and tenacity which allowed her to complete her associate degree one week prior to her high school graduation. She possesses the mindset and academic skills to make her dreams a reality. I cannot wait to see all that she accomplishes!”
About Yuma Catholic:
Yuma Catholic High School embraces the distinctive elements of a traditional Catholic school education. Through religious instruction, the message of the Gospel, and the light of faith, students are encouraged to live as children of God and as followers of Christ through personal prayer, celebration of the sacraments, the virtue of love, and service to others.
We promote an educational environment open to all who want to learn, based upon the dignity and worth of each individual, the common nature of all human beings, and their endowment with freedom of will, rational thinking, a moral conscience, and imaginative and creative powers. Students are empowered to realize their human potential by acquiring knowledge, understanding, fitness, wisdom, and grace. The mission of Yuma Catholic High School is to bring students to Christ, to prepare students for college, and to develop students through service to the community. For more information visit https://www.yumacatholic.org/
