'Keep challenging yourself': Indio High Grad Stanford bound on full scholarship
When your three older sisters attend UCLA, naturally you grow up wanting to live up to — or, better yet, exceed — their expectations.
That’s exactly what standout Indio High School graduate Belinda Castaneda has done. But she won’t be a Bruin.
Castaneda will be attending Stanford University this fall on a full scholarship from the school and a local benefactor.
“As the youngest of four daughters, Belinda, from the start of her freshman year, set herself a goal to graduate with a higher ranking, higher GPA and more scholarships than her sisters,” said Indio High counselor Yolanda De Loera. “And let me tell y'all, she definitely met that goal of hers.”
Just as there are seven days of the week, Castaneda was involved in seven high school clubs: IHS Renaissance, the Ophelia Project, the Migrant Leaders Club, National Honors Society, Interact Club, the California Scholarship Federation and Link Crew. Oh, and she was also a part of the Rajahs’ first-ever league-winning golf team.
From golf to Stanford, it would be easy to assume Castaneda has lived a life of privilege. In reality, she grew up in a family of six sharing a three-bedroom apartment designated as low-income housing in Indio.
Castaneda’s parents, Maria and Jose, are fieldworkers.
“It’s a very seasonal job, so sometimes there’s no employment,” Castaneda explained. “So, it’s been kind of hard to live at home dealing with that, but any chance they get, my parents take work that’s available for them.”
She reflects with gratitude on Christmases when she and her sisters would receive gifts from a local toy drive. And, she recalls hard times when they would complete homework at McDonalds or Starbucks because her parents could not afford Wi-Fi at home.
“But I think that just kind of motivated me,” she said. “My sisters and I, we all kinda found a safe zone with school and building relationships with teachers. School was what we could accomplish and what came easy for us, and that was one of the only things that could bring us joy even if it wasn’t that good at home.”
Of all subjects, Castaneda said she feels most confident with math, her intended major at Stanford. (She wanted to give a special shoutout to Indio High math teachers Amy Torres and Timothy Goerzen.)
Castaneda also is passionate about social issues, and intends to use her bilingualism to advocate for non-English speakers.
“I can use that ability to help make sure others understand different laws or whatever’s going on,” she said.
Her advice for Coachella Valley students from similar backgrounds is to “never give up.”
“I know it can get hard, and many times taking the easy route seems like the best way,” she said. “But it’s not. Keep challenging yourself, and at the end it’ll all be worth it.”
Jonathan Horwitz covers education for The Desert Sun. Reach him at jonathan.horwitz@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Indio High Grad Stanford bound on full scholarship
