Pregnant and not knowing where to turn next, Rebecca Zamora, 18, wasn’t going to give up, and through hard work and perseverance, she has turned her dreams into reality at Stein High School.

Zamora was halfway through her junior year at Delta Charter High School when she realized she was pregnant with her son, Emilio. After doing some research, she decided Stein was the right place for her.

“I went down the wrong way and hung out with the wrong crowd,” she said. “My grades dropped. … I was partying. I found out I was pregnant, and I felt I was going to fail.”

Then she talked to friends at Stein and learned about the school’s day care program, which is woven into the curriculum.

“I knew that would help me with my son,” she said. “I had a class where I had to help out at the day care center and be with my son. Most schools don’t offer that.”

Thanks to the help of her teachers and a school counselor who ran the day care, she said, she has turned her life around. Emilio turned 1 on May 11.

“When I came to this school, it changed me a lot,” she said. “I enjoyed going to Stein. I’m going to miss it. I enjoyed all my classes. It was different — the teachers made it fun. They were there for you.”

Zamora has been named the keynote speaker for this year’s graduation ceremonies for Stein High School on Wednesday, May 25. She said she was surprised and honored when they bestowed upon her the opportunity to speak to her fellow graduates.

“When they told me, I was like, wow,” she said. “I’ve been through a lot in my lifetime, as far as starting middle school to high school. For this school to ask me to do this — I was happy about it, excited. It’s an honor.”

She said her speech will be about her success at Stein.

“Young parents who just needed that boost to continue on with their education,” she said. “We found it at Stein.”

Zamora plans to continue her education in college and work toward a degree in the medical field, for a career that works with children.