Driven to learn: a peek inside the lives of students living outside of Walnut

Photo courtesy of Mia Olivares and illustrations by Ava Kaleah David and Angie Hsu

Painting the road for success Sophomore Mia Olivares juggles multiple commitments in school for ASB and girls soccer. With so many responsibilities and so little time to complete them, Olivares counts off her goals to complete for the day as she drives back home for an hour. “[The long commute] helps me be more responsible because I have to make sure I pack everything the night before and to finish homework early. It’s helped me grow as a person,” Olivares said.

It’s 6 a.m., but rather than being tucked in bed, sophomore Mia Olivares is already on the go for her daily hour drive to school with her mom. With music playing in the background, she lightly naps before preparing herself for the day ahead.

Olivares is an Allen Bill student, making the daily commute from her residence in Rialto to Walnut High School, about 34 miles. On top of maintaining her academics, she balances both club and school soccer, playing on the varsity girls team, and serves an active role in Associated Student Body (ASB) as a member of the hospitality, pep rally and athletics committees.

“I’m really tired throughout the day because I leave my house really early so sometimes I just try to sleep in the car, but it’s hard to go back to sleep when you’re already up and about,” Olivares said.

To maximize efficiency, Olivares prioritizes getting tasks done at school, putting her all into her activities so that by 10:30 p.m., she can sleep. In the morning, she wakes up as early as 5 a.m. with a schedule running in her head for the rest of the day.

“[Living far] has taught me a lot because I have to use my time really efficiently; if I’m sitting around doing nothing, and I have homework to do later, then sometimes I’m not going to be able to finish it,” Olivares said. “I have to use my time when I can and make sure I have enough time to eat in between practice and still do my homework. [With my extracurriculars too], it’s just a matter of time management.”

The long days are the biggest challenge for her, especially when she is juggling ASB activities and soccer practices and games, sometimes getting home as late as 10 p.m. Other conflicts can occur with her parents’ schedules. With her mom working in Diamond Bar, she has to wait until 4:15 p.m. for her to come pick her up — even on the days she does not have practice or conflicting schedules. Through it all, she tries to keep a positive mindset.

“It’s hard when I have school events, or my friends want to hang out because I have to stay [longer], but then, I still have to drive an hour home,” Olivares said. “I try to maintain a positive mindset. I remember that I have friends over here [that] make it better and that it is worth it at the end of the day, because I know it’s going to help me in the long run.”

Aside from her mom working in Diamond Bar, her decision to continue coming to Walnut was driven by her friends, the education and soccer program. Olivares originally grew up in Walnut, then she moved to Cypress in fifth grade when her great grandmother — who had lived with her family — passed away. Being near Long Beach, she enjoyed the proximity to the beach and ocean but then was faced with another hard goodbye when her grandparents needed aid. Moving even farther to Rialto during the summer between seventh and eighth grade was hard on her, but she now embraces her new environment in Walnut.

“Walnut is always really busy, and there’s just a lot going on here. Where I live — which is near the mountains — there is a lot of open land that is really pretty to see,” Olivares said. “I do not like [living] so far [from school], but I like the environment [in Rialto] more.”

Olivares’s friend, sophomore Carys Tuason, has been able to see her transition to her different hometowns since they became friends in sixth grade. “I feel that [Mia] really has her life together; everything is on such a schedule, and she works so efficiently. For me, since I don’t have to wake up as early and don’t have to be conscious of the time that I sleep, I just procrastinate even more,” Tuason said. “Even though she wakes up super early, she’s still super lively at school with a lot of energy, so I don’t think it impacts her in a bad way.”

Olivares’s mom too views the everyday routine with a positive outlook and praises WVUSD for the benefits she has observed over the years. “I value the positive learning environment, safety and strong community of WVUSD. The memories, friendships, education and support that the WVUSD district [provides Mia] have helped shape her into the person she is today,” Ms. Olivares said. “The long car rides and days are worth it knowing the academic, athletic and social benefits Mia receives.” Ω