When Osvaldo Garcia Barron started high school, he was often the only student of color in his advanced classes. He struggled to speak up and wondered if he had anything to contribute.

The start of the pandemic interrupted his freshman year of high school.

But instead of coming out of it feeling isolated, Garcia Barron came back to school determined. He followed his older sister Paola’s lead in participating in some leadership programs and continued taking advanced classes.

When he still struggled to feel a sense of belonging, he realized he probably wasn’t the only one.

Read more at Chalkbeat Colorado.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

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