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Mar 20, 2007

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." --Mahatma Gandhi

A 9-Year-Old Scholar's Determination

Brenda Tejeda Baez has endured a lot of chaos in her short life. By the time she was in third grade, she had lived in five different friends' apartments and two homeless shelters. Yet, the 9-year-old girl has refused to budge on the one constant in her life: attending Louis Agassiz Elementary School. Even when her family had to live for three months in a homeless shelter, Brenda, her mother, and her little brother traveled more than an hour each way on public transportation to get to the school. "In her mind, she started at this school, and in her mind, she needed to finish here," said her 27-year-old mother, Dolores. Brenda's determination has earned her top grades, and the first-ever Boston public schools' "Absolutely Incredible Kid" prize. This article includes an adorable picture of Brenda at the award ceremony.