No one had their back.
As Osbaldo Hernandez looked around Bellevue's Interlake High School, he saw Hispanic students growing discouraged, starting to skip class and then not going at all.
Without a high-school diploma, college wasn't even a dream.
"I see it a lot in school," Hernandez said. "Students drop out, become part of gangs, feel they don't have support or anyone pushing them to accomplish their goals."
So last fall Hernandez, 17, organized his fellow Hispanic students to raise academic achievement, graduate from high school and go on to college. They did it by encouraging each other to show up for class and turn in homework, by meeting twice a month to research college options and financial aid, and by seeking support from parents, school counselors and volunteers to navigate the application process.
