Page 15 - Mid Valley Times 1-7-21 E-edition

Thursday, January 7, 2021 | A15 | Mid Valley TiMes TEEN
Roadwork near Dinuba High
Continued from page A1
allowed me to be suc- cessful in and out of the classroom," she wrote. "Holding integrity to a high standard has al- lowed me to take pride inallIdo,evenwhenI make a mistake."
In her essay, Gonzalez said she went through a good portion of her life as "the girl who speaks Spanish." As a daugh- ter of immigrants, she entered kindergarten knowing little or no Eng- lish. "I had no idea at five-years-old that Span- ish being my primary language would one day be my greatest bless- ing," she wrote. "From that point on, I worked diligently with teachers to excel in my education."
At Dinuba High, Gon- zalez has gone on to be captain of the Emper- ors' volleyball and track and field teams, become president of the Future Health Professionals Club, and receive the Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership (HOBY) Award and Barbara James Service Award among other honors. She also has continued her passion of pursuing a career in medicine.
Natalie said that one of her proudest achieve- ments in high school was her organization of a blood and bone mar- row drive for 10-year-old Judith Marie Figueroa, who battled acute my- eloid leukemia.
"The goal of the drive was to find a match for Judie and fundraise to ease medical ex-
penses," she wrote. "We found 3 and fundraises a little over $1,000. Ju- die might've gained her wings as an angel, but her family continues to thank me for the legacy we left of Judie at Dinu- ba High School."
Gonzalez has been president of the HOSA (Future Health Profes- sionals) Club at Dinuba High, and has been a four-time state finalist and two-time interna- tional finalist for the or- ganization. She also was a delegate for the Nation- al Academy Foundation's Health Science program.
Natalie also said that her ability to persevere and be patient with her- self was driven by the desire to be a role mod- el for her family. "My big sister, Hope, has a genetic disorder, Down Syndrome, therefore making me the big sis- ter from an intellectual standpoint," she wrote. The situation has "al- lowed me to grow and learn how to be a selfless leader than can benefit the lives of others."
In her letter explain- ing her qualifications for Teenage Citizen of the Year, Gonzalez wrote that she would like to be- come a neurosurgeon. "This scholarship would allow me to experience different areas of life and the world through my own eyes," she wrote. "Afterwards, I plan to return to the small ag- ricultural community of Dinuba that I call home and make the same dif- ference for a tenacious child that many of my mentors made for me."
ABOVE: Workers with Bill Nelson Construction worked below the surface of East Kern Street in front of Dinuba High School on Jan. 5. Crews were installing tubing on this day, and pouring dirt into the roadway.
RIGHT: Workers dump dirt into a trench in the street on the south side by the high school.
Photos by Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Police arrest man for assault with rock
MVT Staff Report
Dinuba police arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after assault- ing another man with a rock on Dec. 27.
Gerardo Rivas was booked into the Tulare County Jail on a charge of attempted murder along with an outstanding war- rant.
According to police, respond-
ing officers in
the 500 block
of East Tulare
Street found the
victim bleeding
from injuries
to his head. The
man told of-
ficers that his
daughter's boy-
friend, identified as Rivas, began hitting him over the head with a large rock and then punched him
several times.
Police were able to take Ri-
vas into custody at his residence without incident. The victim was treated at a hospital and was ex- pected to make a full recovery, police reported.
Rivas remained jailed at the county's Adult Pre-Trial Facil- ity on a $1.5 million bond, and faced felony charges of attempt- ed murder and assault causing great bodily injury.
Gerardo Rivas
006734