YUHSD seniors appear on school billboards

Seniors from all six Yuma Union High School District schools will appear across Yuma County to promote the district’s Ready Now Yuma initiative.

There are six billboards located near the students’ respective campuses. One male and one female student from each school are represented in the campaign. As part of the selection process, students were required to write a brief essay and participate in a video interview.

“It’s a huge honor,” Luis Guerrero of San Luis High School said. “I wasn’t expecting this. I saw the billboards in front of the high school last year and thought, ‘What did they do to be there? I wish I could be there.’ I always worked my tail off for A’s in my classes and to be involved in clubs on campus. I hope to represent San Luis in the best way possible.”

Principals, guidance counselors, teachers, and district administrators all played a role in recommending students for the billboards, which will run through most of the summer. Each students’ banners will be displayed in their respective campuses for the 2019-2020 school year.

“The idea of the program was originally to raise awareness about the district’s Ready Now Yuma initiative; that every student will be a career, college and community ready upon graduation,” YUHSD Communications Director Eric Patten said. “Since then it has advanced to be representative of the hard-working, incredible students who attend our high schools. Every one of our students has taken a unique path to get where they are today, and it’s been a pleasure to help share some of their stories to represent that.”

Ready Now Yuma is a unique, student-centered initiative of Yuma Union High School District and Helios Education Foundation. Its goals include graduating every YUHSD student prepared to succeed in college and career, embedding a high-expectations, college-going culture within the district, and increasing the number of students entering and achieving in postsecondary education, including career and technical education, community college, and university.

2019 RNY Billboard Students:

Karen Campa, CHS

Joshua Dusek, CHS

Keven Chacon, GRHS

Mia Corners, GRHS

Julio Martinez Valle, KHS

Leilani Wesley, KHS

Luis Guerrero Muniz, SLHS

Cassandra Hernandez, SLHS

Rubi Cabrera, VHS

Kobe Young, VHS

Anthony Nunez Romero, YHS

Isabella Mayoral Ortega, YHS

Billboard Locations:

Cibola High School: Eastbound 32nd Street and Avenue B

Gila Ridge High School: Westbound Interstate 8 and Fortuna Road

Kofa High School: Westbound 32nd Street and 8th Avenue

San Luis High School: Southbound Highway 95 near Gadsden

Vista Alternative High School: Southbound Pacific Avenue and 24th Street

Yuma High School: Westbound 16th Street and Arizona Avenue