Lakeside senior turns heartaches into stepping stones

Angelena Gil has turned the heartaches and obstacles that would derail many into stepping stones to a brighter future.

Her father died of an accidental overdose when she was seven, and the few memories she has of him aren’t pleasant.

“He was abusive to my mom and me,” she said. “He liked his beer and oxycodone.”

They were living in Oregon at the time, and her mother had her own struggles. When Gil was 11, her mother suffered a brain aneurysm and never fully recovered.

Gil missed a lot of school.

“I always had to be the adult,” she said. “It was hard. Not many people understood. Kids thought I was different, so they treated me differently. I was bullied a lot.”

On her 12th birthday, her grandparents brought her to Nine Mile Falls to live with them.

“It was the best decision,” Gil said. “Where I was headed in Oregon was not good.”

Determined to make up for lost time, Gil worked hard to catch up academically.

“My sixth grade year, my grandma would help me with my homework every day, all the way to bedtime.”

That diligence paid off, said Lakeside High School counselor Linda Mitzlaff.

“Despite her initial disadvantages Angelena has really taken off. She’s taking advanced classes and her teachers say she works hard and has an eye for detail,” Mitzlaff said.

Additionally, she volunteers through National Honor Society and works at a local fast-food restaurant.

“She’s one of our unsung heroes, really,” Mitzlaff said.

Gil shrugs off praise and said her life experience has made her a determined individual.

“I’m very stubborn. I decided I was going to be someone positive,” she said. “I wanted to prove everyone wrong. It’s been hard, but it’s been worth it.”

Those painful years not only sowed the seeds of her work ethic, but also provided her with career aspirations.

When her mother was hospitalized, the nurses’ kindness and compassion sparked an interest in the medical field.

She’s been accepted into the pre-nursing honors program at Eastern Washington University.

“I want to be a pediatric nurse,” she said. “I want to make a difference in the world.”

Mitzlaff said Gil’s ability to empathize coupled with her nurturing nature make her suited to a medical career.

“We think she’s going to be a wonderful nurse,” she said.

When not studying or working, Gil enjoys dancing and hiking. She used to dance with a local studio, but had to stop due to academic demands.

Dance still makes her happy.

“I do it as a hobby,” Gil said.

She finds peace in the outdoors and often hikes around the Bowl and Pitcher at Riverside State Park.

“Once I’m outside hiking, I feel I can truly breathe.”

As she reflected on the troubled times she endured as a vulnerable child, she said one quote in particular has made a difference in the way she lives her life: “Be who you needed when you were younger.”

“Every day I remind myself of that,” Gil said. “I want to be a light in this world.”