Making the most of her path

Liliana Guido Moreno has never seen herself as a troublemaker, yet was kicked out of high school sophomore year after a fight.

The on-campus disagreement came with an initial suspension, required courses and finally expulsion for Guido Moreno who then enrolled at one of the San Mateo County community schools. Run by the County Office of Education, many students who attend were kicked out of their school for one reason or another. Although Guido Moreno disagreed with the reason she ended up at Community School Central in Redwood City, she sees it as part of God’s plan for her. She was surrounded by teachers who believed in her. As a result, she has more confidence in everything she does.

Guido Moreno is the second oldest of five children.

An energetic little girl with good grades, Guido Moreno had hopes of one day becoming a police officer.

"I was always interested in keeping the city safe,” she said.

Guido Moreno enrolled at Hoover Elementary School through first grade, then Taft Elementary School through fifth grade. While at Taft, a counselor asked a number of students, including Guido Moreno, what they wanted to be when they grew up. Then, students were taken to tour the work places. Guido Moreno really loved visiting the police station.

At Kennedy Middle School, Guido Moreno participated in the school’s dance program. She particularly enjoyed eighth grade and the transition to Menlo-Atherton High School went smoothly. There were problems though. An outspoken teacher’s opinion of Guido Moreno, that she would end up 16 and pregnant, weighed on her.

During her sophomore year, Guido Moreno got into a fight. A girl attacked her pregnant friend. Guido Moreno doesn’t remember the details but got involved. Her friend lost the baby. Guido Moreno was suspended and eventually expelled. She wasn’t legally charged with anything, but was required to take classes for anger management before the school district would consider allowing her to return. During a closed session discussion, the board voted to expel Guido Moreno from M-A.

Guido Moreno enrolled in Community School Gateway, located near the Hillcrest Juvenile Facility. Getting there was hard on Guido Moreno’s mom who had children in three different schools in two cities. Guido Moreno needed to take three buses to get home. After a short while, a spot opened up in Central in Redwood City easing the commute troubles for Guido Moreno and her family.

"This was God’s plan for me. There’s no other school like this one. It’s like a second home,” she said.

Guido Moreno liked to be the person at school who introduced herself to new people. She recalled going to Central with a couple students she knew, making the change not as difficult. During her senior year, Guido Moreno took advantage of programs on campus like talking to students in Pakistan through a webcam.

Throughout high school, Guido Moreno has taken advantage of volunteer opportunities like working with the local Boys and Girls Club, her church and the Drama Ministry Church.

At the same time, she began taking classes at Cañada College — enrolling in general health science and human biology — to get accustomed to the college way of life.

It’s important for Guido Moreno to keep moving forward. She wants to be a role model for her younger children. She appreciates how hard her parents work for them to have a better life. Guido Moreno will be the first in her family to graduate from high school and go to college.

Near the end of her senior year, Guido Moreno learned about WyoTech, which offers a variety of training in automotive technology. This interested her as well. Guido Moreno plans to pursue WyoTech and work for a couple of years then go to Cañada College before transferring to Stanford University. Ultimately, she would like to get a master’s degree in biology and become a crime scene investigator.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by email: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.