Senior classmates Valeria Delacruz and Vanessa Guel Guerrero are heading down different paths after they graduate from Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School , but they share a mutual admiration for each other’s journey.
Delacruz will attend college in South Korea to study International Relations, while Guerrero is pursuing her dream to merge her two passions: fashion and environmental sustainability.
“I think she is so brave,” Guerrero said of Delacruz’s decision to study in South Korea. “For her to be able to immerse herself in another culture like that is unbelievable.”
“I am so proud of what Valeria is going to do with her life,” responded Delacruz. “Our world is the only world we have, and she is going to help keep it beautiful.”
Guerrero, a Dallas ISD Superintendent Scholarship recipient, grew up near a neighborhood park often littered with trash. She saw how the parks in the more affluent areas of town did not have the same issue, and it inspired her to take action.
“I want to let everyone have the same opportunity to see an environment that is clean and safe, no matter their zip code,” she said.
Meanwhile, Delacruz fell in love with South Korea after studying there for six weeks. She appreciates the country’s community and culture and is driven to work in the country’s United States Embassy after graduating.
“You only live once, and attending college in South Korea is an opportunity I can’t pass up,” she said. “I want to make a difference with my life.”
Rangel Principal Beverly Lusk said students such as Delacruz and Guerrero inspire her as a campus leader.
“Our students never cease to amaze me,” Lusk said. “They are driven and incredibly smart, and I can’t wait to see the impact they have on this world.”
