This article first appeared on meaningfulminute.org Julio Castro, 31, is a math teacher at YULA Boys High School in Los Angeles. Castro has only been a teacher at YULA for three years and is already beloved by his students. The reason: his dedication. Castro works through lunch and stays late to tutor. Castro lives in Santa Clarita and does not own a car, so he has to take a bus to school. Wakeup for Castro is at 415 am, and he returns home after 9 pm. He lives seven miles away from the bus stop. The bus is an hour and a half drive and the closest stop is about a mile away from YULA. As a result, Castro does not usually get to see his three young children who have already gone to bed. So his students decided to do something about it. Led by YULA senior Joshua Gerendash, 17, YULA students spent their summer fundraising thirty thousand dollars to buy their teacher a car, gas, and car insurance for a year. At the beginning of the school year, YULA staged a staff appreciation assembly with Castro being one of the honorees. It was all a charade, a show put on just to honor Castro. At the end of the presentation, the boys presented Castro with a certified pre-owned blue Mazda 3 Hatchback. A couple of quotes from Castro after receiving his gift: “Now I get to see [my children] every morning, give them breakfast, take them to school and check their homework at night.” “It’s not just a car. They gave me more time with my family.” “I feel special. I feel grateful. I am speechless.” The
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