Alisa Samakapiruk When Alisa Samakapiruk was 8 years old, living in Thailand, her father died of leukemia. She and her brother were raised by their mother, but it was difficult for her to manage.

So when Alisa was 17 and her brother was 18, they moved to the United States, leaving their mom behind. A friend of Alisa’s aunt lived in Simi Valley, and the teens stayed with her for six months following their arrival here.

Two years later, Alisa has graduated from Simi Valley High School. She’s learned English, excelled in math and science, and even received Simi Valley High School’s Trailblazer Award for her hard work and perseverance. Alisa also joined the school’s Recycling Club and often serves as a teacher’s assistant.

After school, Alisa spends time reviewing the lessons she learned during the day and often meets with teachers for additional tutoring.

“This makes me understand a lot more about the details,” she said. “This has allowed me to maintain a 3.5 grade point average. . . . I just keep studying and if I have time, I read a book. It’s hard to learn, writing and listening and everything.”

Alisa works part-time in a restaurant as a kitchen assistant and sometimes as a server to pay for food, gas, insurance and rent—she rents a room in a Simi Valley home. She said it’s enough for now but worries it won’t cover her education next year. She plans to attend Moorpark College to pursue an associate’s degree in nursing. She then hopes to transfer to UCLA to continue her education.

“I did not have enough time to take care of my mother and father, who both inspired me to become a nurse and to care for diseased people in my community and help them and their family members,” Alisa said. “I want to spend my future taking care of people. I want to take care of family, and I want them to have better lives.”

Debra Jewell, a guidance counselor at SVHS, called Alisa a “very impressive young woman.”

“She truly wants to be the best that she can be and wants to help others through the field of nursing,” Jewell said. “She enjoys learning and studies hard. Alisa is dedicated to success, and I am confident she will achieve anything she sets her mind to.”

Alisa said she’ll likely stay in the U.S. after she graduates and gets a job in nursing, but she will go back to Thailand at least to visit.

Her brother, a Simi Valley High School graduate, is attending Moorpark College.