Senior Student
Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College (Far Northeast)
Lisa Rhodes has always been a self-motivated and driven person in every aspect of her life. At the age of eight, Lisa and her younger sister were removed from the care of her biological parents and became children of the state. In the midst of adversity at a very young age, Lisa became actively involved in her younger sister’s care and education. “Instead of going home after school, I would be sure to pick up my sister from school, attend all of her back to school nights, plays, teacher conferences, and more. Anyway I could make her life as normal as possible,” she said.
Along with her sibling duties, Lisa has been a remarkably active student, and said, “As far as I know, my schools and my teachers are the only reason that I am able to stand here today.”
Lisa is a proud senior panther at Martin Luther King (MLK), Jr. Early College where she is involved in many school activities. Lisa serves on the Student Board of Education as a Senior Representative where she has been involved in Our DPS Days and Challenge 5280, a leadership program funded by the DPS Foundation. She is an active member of her school’s speech and debate club and has been a member of the Denver Urban Debate League for the past 4 years. Lisa excels in the arts as well, participating in orchestra and choir during her early high school years. Taking advantage of everything that DPS has to offer, Lisa is also concurrently enrolled in several college courses. All of this, while working a 30 hour per week job at a nearby restaurant since her junior year!
Lisa’s confidence and charisma, in spite of her early life challenges, is inspiring. In 2014, Lisa received the Mayor’s Youth Award, an honor given to students who show integrity and academic achievement in the face of adversity.
We are so grateful to have students like Lisa represent the 90,000 students in DPS. To watch Lisa’s powerful speech, click here.