Senior Success Story: Atwater High senior turns painful experience into purpose

ATWATER, Calif. (KFSN) -- Andrea Sandoval is a senior at Atwater High, counting down her final days of school.

"I don't think it's going to hit me until graduation," Andrea said.

She's spent the last four years heavily involved in extracurricular activities, including Health Occupation Students of America, skills lab and basketball.

The team celebrated a major milestone this spring as they brought home the school's first section title since 1988.

"I just feel like my senior year has been the highlight of my high school career," Andrea said.

Her gentle demeanor doesn't show the full story of what she's been through to get here.

She's been raised by a single mother, an immigrant from Mexico.

Her father passed away from a heart attack when she was just four years old.

"It was kind of unexpected, but he was having issues before. He just didn't want to go to the hospital," Andrea said.

Her mom has worked multiple jobs to take care of the family.

Her oldest brother, Santiago, also stepped up to help.

"This is my brother and me. He would always take us to Yosemite and he was so happy in the picture," Andrea said.

Andrea says he was more like a father figure than a brother.

In 2020, she lost that father figure when Santiago died in a car accident.

Andrea was in 8th grade.

After the crash, her family was contacted by a nurse who stopped at the scene to help.

"But we're grateful for her, because she said that she was able to hold him in her arms, and that she was praying for him," Andrea said. "I feel like that brought closure to us, just to know that he wasn't really alone in his final moments."

The compassion the woman showed Santiago is what inspired Andrea to join the Patient Care Pathway when she entered high school.

Her instructor, Raj Mehat, says, as a student, Andrea has been quiet, reserved and kind.

"You would never have known the struggles that she went through unless you really asked. Honestly, you never know how well she's doing unless you ask her, so she's just a very humble person," Mehat said.

She says that while her classes gave her purpose, she and her mom found an escape through basketball.

"I feel like that was able to distract her, and I feel like it was able to distract me too," Andrea said.

Her coach, JR Davis, says he's watched Andrea's confidence and skill build throughout the years, complimenting her positive attitude no matter what was happening.

"She never complains about anything, I mean, the good or bad," Davis said.

In just a few weeks, all of her hard work will pay off.

She's graduating at the top of her class.

This summer, she'll receive her Community Health Worker Specialized Training Certificate through UC Merced.

She'll take her state boards to officially become a certified nursing assistant.

She says her struggles have guided her and will continue to do so in the next chapter.

"It just really taught me that I need to enjoy life to the fullest -- to change the world the most I can and just be kind to others because that's going to be my legacy, you know," Andrea said.

Andrea is headed to Stanislaus State in the fall.

She'll initially major in biology and once she has all the required classes, she hopes to apply to the nursing program.

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