Students Rising Above

Maya Barnes: Class of 2008

(CBS) Maya Barnes knew the moment she walked in to the office that day at school that things were going to be different. It was September 15, 1999. Child Protective Services came to the school and told Maya and her brother that they were being removed from their home. 

A neighbor had called CPS after realizing how bad things had become. Maya, her brother and her mom had been living in her Grandmother's house with up to ten other relatives for almost six years. Her Grandma was living in a convalescent home. The bills were not being paid. Sometimes there were no lights, no water and occasionally no food. 

Maya thought that things would only get worse in the foster care system. For a while, she was right. Maya and her brother were separated. Maya moved four times, in and out of homes surrounded by drugs and alcohol. 

After years of uncertainty, Maya's Aunt Jackie brought Maya to live with her and that changed everything. Life at Aunt Jackie's house was disciplined. Maya no longer had to worry about what she would eat or if there would be electricity when she got home from school. There were no drugs or alcohol. Maya could now focus on school. Her Aunt would go to her school and check up on her regularly. Jackie was determined to make sure that Maya did well in life; education ensured that. 

Maya's schooling is not the only thing Jackie had to worry about. For five years she battled breast cancer. October 18, 2006 is another day that Maya will never forget. That's the day Aunt Jackie died. 

What was Maya to do when the one person who motivated her died? She says she had a choice to make. She could let go of the plans that her Aunt had for her, or she could continue to work toward her future. "Aunt Jackie would never go for that," Maya says. "I think I went back to school the day after she died." Close to perfect attendance is one thing that Maya's advisor Geraldine Sonobe always remembers. She recalls Maya getting sick shortly after her Aunt died yet still showing up to school to turn in her work. With the help of her Uncle, Maya continued to excel in school. He became the stable influence in her life. He was the one who now went to the parent/teacher meetings.

This year Maya graduated from Castlemont Business and Information Technology High School in East Oakland. She ranked number nine in her class, graduating in the top ten percentile. Maya has left lasting impressions on everyone. She was involved with Teens on Target, focused on changing attitudes towards guns and violence. She was a junior tutor with the program Higher Ground. Maya wants to help the youth around her.

Advisor Geraldine Sonobe says that Maya inspired her. She describes Maya as resilient and determined. Geraldine admires the standards that Maya holds herself to. Her 3.5 grade point average shows that high standards, do pay off.

In the Fall, Maya will attend California State University, Northridge. She plans on majoring in Sociology. Maya has learned and grown from all that she has been through. She knows that there are other people going through what she continues to struggle with. She wants them to know this: "Your past doesn't dictate your future, you can amount to anything."

Maya Barnes is also featured in an article in the Oakland Tribune, to view her story click here.