‘Don’t stop’: RISE Academy ‘super senior’ graduates despite obstacles

Published 5:45 am Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories profiling graduating high school seniors in Smith County.

Anthony Cuevas-Navarro, 19, says he was “close to quitting” before enrolling at Tyler ISD’s RISE Academy.

“I’m a super senior, and I finished,” he said. “Now I’m pretty excited.”

Cuevas-Navarro moved to Texas to attend RISE Academy after falling behind in his home state of California.

RISE Academy focuses on dropout prevention, credit recovery and self-paced learning opportunities for at-risk students by offering flexible scheduling based on the needs of each student, according to the school.

A fast pace and large class sizes weren’t conducive to learning, he said.

His mother and stepfather sent him to Texas to live with his biological father to finish high school.

Although he doesn’t live with him, Cuevas-Navarro said his stepfather coming into his life was the best thing for him.

“He’s been pushing me about getting things like my driver’s license, all that,” he said. “Even though I’m struggling right now, he said in the end it will be all worth it.”

Cuevas-Navarro has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss in areas of the body.

But Cuevas-Navarro always has a smile on his face.

“He smiles with his eyes all the time. I can say this. He is one of the kindest, nicest guys here,” RISE Academy Principal Dexter Floyd said. “He is a model young man dealing with certain kinds of adversities. Nothing breaks him.”

Cuevas-Navarro is upbeat and energetic. Floyd said he’s never heard him complain about his situation, class work or anything else.

“Once you’re 19, going into 20, you could easily quit, but he was so determined that he was not going to quit,” Floyd said.

When Cuevas-Navarro was young, he was in foster care for about six years before his mother regained custody and moved him back to California.

He said his foster mother was instrumental in getting him involved with sports, which he is passionate about. He’s participated in soccer, cross country, track, football, baseball and hockey.

Cuevas-Navarro said he’s been in contact with her since returning to Texas.

“Recently, she’s been in the hospital,” he said. “I’m doing this for her, too.”

After graduation, he plans to return to California to work at a hospital, study for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test and join the Navy.

“I’ve always been very physical. I love pushing myself past my limits,” Cuevas-Navarro said. “The Navy is going to help me with discipline and things that I will need later on as an adult.”

Cuevas-Navarro said he’s always loved the ocean, and traveling the world on ships and being stationed in faraway places appeals to him.

“I was close to quitting, but with this RISE opportunity, I said I’ll keep going. I’ll see how it is, and now I’m finishing,” he said. “Keep going at it. Don’t stop. In the end, I am getting this high school diploma. It’s going to be worth it. It’s everything.”

RISE Academy has scheduled its graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. today in the Tyler High School varsity gym.