“My first day I cried. When I got home, I said ‘school is not for me. I want to work,’” she said.

Joshua Miller, Cruz’ counselor, said the school had to hire a tutor to work with Cruz and her sister when they first came to the school.

Cruz said the level of support she got at Corvallis High School helped her get through the difficult time.

“I felt like I was home. Not everyone comes to a country and feels welcome,” she said.

Although Cruz said she faced a lot of pressure from her family to stop school and go to work, she kept going to school. She said her teachers, particularly English language development teachers Bonnie Arning, Karin Krueger and Mary Skillings, kept her in school.

“Without them, I never would have made it,” she said. “I always say they are like my mom.”

Skillings said Cruz needed time to adjust to Corvallis High School, but after her teachers and classmates built up trust with her through things like sharing meals with them, there was no stopping her.