Class of '09: Super Spartan overcomes vast challenges

The odds were indeed stacked against Leidi Baca.

When she and her family arrived to California from Michoacan, Mexico, on Aug. 12, 2005, Baca knew not one word of English.

“I didn’t want to come,” she said. “It was my dad’s decision.”

Baca, who attended Lindsay High for four months, was forced to channel herself into a new network of friends.

The 18-year-old said she was tempted many times to bypass school due to the constant language barrier.

Baca instead wanted to go to work with her father, Roberto, in the fields because she could easily communicate with others.

“It was hard [attending school] because I didn’t know the language, I didn’t know the people, I didn’t know the customs,” she said.

A new roadblock then fell across her path.

When Baca had finally started to settle in at Lindsay, her parents decided to move to Strathmore.

“I was like, ‘No. Moving again? Please,’” she said.

When many would have crumpled, Baca confronted the test before her.

And she passed with flying colors.

Baca, who concluded her prep career at Strathmore High, graduated Friday night at Spartan Stadium as the No. 10 student in her class.

The 18-year-old garnered a 3.6 GPA and landed a bevy of scholarships in the process: Porterville College First for $500, 20 Ands ($300), Hazel Rankin Memorial ($250), Ralph and Pauline Aldridge ($250), Stephen Academic ($200) and Bruce Ward ($100).

Oh, and by the way, she’s now fluent in both English and Spanish.

“I learned to always work hard,” Baca said, “because if you don’t work, you don’t succeed.”

The Strathmore graduate, time permitting, still helps her father pick oranges and other crops. In fact, she woke up at 3 a.m. Friday to help Roberto pick cherries.

“I don’t like to stay home,” Baca said. “It’s too boring.”

Baca’s English teacher, Marty Stephens, lauded the teenager’s work ethic.

He offered an example about how his class had a project due the final week of school.

Baca, who was already sitting with a 97 percent in the class, didn’t have to complete the assignment; her A grade was already secured.

All of the seniors finished Tuesday, but Baca returned to Stephens’ class Wednesday to submit her finished product.

“She wanted to see it all the way through,” Stephens said. “That speaks volumes of her character.

“She is the consummate student. She is exactly what every teacher would want.”

Baca said she will attend Porterville College before transferring to California State University, Bakersfield. Her ultimate plan is to return to Strathmore and become a mathematics teacher.

“I, and others, cannot say enough about Leidi,” Stephens said. “This is an exceptional human being. I am so proud of her.”