www.masbakersfield.com

Faith leads students to overcome adversity, reach goals

Whenever Phoebe Hernandez found herself in a tough spot, she’d turn to God.

The Liberty High School graduate found strength in religion to help her make the right choices and stay away from bad influences, such as drugs and alcohol.

Hernandez is now headed to Vanguard University of Southern California where she will work on obtaining a degree in communications and enhancing her devotion to life and religion.

“Not because she is my daughter, but I couldn’t be more proud of Phoebe. She is very dedicated and has a really soft gentleness about her,” said Sandra Guandique, Hernandez’s mother. “She loves the Lord, and she likes helping others, which is something I admire of her.”

Guandique knows Hernandez’s devotion to God has not only helped her make it through high school but also through her parent’s divorce.

“God will never put you through more than you can handle. That is how I view life,” Hernandez said.

And God was there for Hernandez when it came time to say farewell to some of her friends who got mixed up with drugs.

“Making new friends was the toughest part of high school for me,” Hernandez said. “I had known a particular group of friends since junior high but sophomore year, they got mixed up with drugs and alcohol, and it was tough but I had to distance myself from them.”

Hernandez said she came to the realization some of her friends were doing things that would hurt their body and she didn’t want that.

“If I went along with them, I would only be hurting myself,” she said.

Carmen Davis, Hernandez’s counselor, said she has always known Hernandez to be a top student.

“She always seems so positive and works real hard. She is very serious about her academics,” Davis said. “Phoebe does what she says she is going to do. She is probably one of the most serious students.”

One of Hernandez’s favorite moments of high school was attending the football games where she discovered it was less about football and more about socializing.

“I went to my first football game my sophomore year. I didn’t know people actually just socialized,” she said. “I like it a lot because I got to hang out and also got to see friends from the past.”

Knowing yourself is a key to success in Hernandez’s mind.

“I think you have to know who you are first and that you just can’t have other people influence you. You have to know who you are,” she said.

Hernandez is looking forward to going away from school and becoming more responsible.

Name: Phoebe Hernandez
Age: 18
School: Liberty High School
College: Vanguard University of Southern California
Career goal/major: Communications
Community/school involvement: Link Crew; Bible Club; MEChA; yearbook staff.
Message to family: “I appreciate all you have done for me. As strict as you can be, it was all for my benefit.”