Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Tina Cuevas

Each week, San Bruno Patch will feature an amazing kid, youth group, teen or sports team that wows us with their accomplishments. 

This week, we feature a recent high school graduate with a cumulative 4.0 GPA who has been an active member in the San Bruno 4-H Club for seven years and a recreation leader at the San Bruno recreation center for three years.

Patch Whiz Kid of the Week

Name: Tina Cuevas

School: Mercy Burlingame

Accomplishment: Not only did Cuevas graduate with a 4.0 GPA, but she also finished with seven years of community service under her belt with the San Bruno 4-H Club and the San Bruno Recreation Department.

Cuevas served in many different positions in the 4-H club: vice president for two years and president, secretary and treasurer for one year each. Out of the seven years she was with the club, she served the majority of the time on the executive board.

“I really enjoyed serving as a member of the executive board because it allowed me to gain a lot of leadership experience and help be a major part in an organization that I loved,” Cuevas said. “The board is what makes 4-H extremely unique compared to other organizations, because it is completely run by youth. While there are many adults involved that lead the different projects and guide the board members to right decisions, they do not control overall what the club decides.”

Cuevas also participated in photography, archery and poultry, beef and goat projects, and helped with many different fundraisers that the club sponsored. In addition, she participated in poultry showmanship and raised a chicken and two ducks for the San Mateo County Fair.

“These projects let me explore different interests that I had that I might not have been able to explore anywhere else,” said Cuevas.

In addition to her volunteering for the 4-H club, Cuevas was hired to work with the city's program three years ago and has worked at the rec Center every summer since.

“One of my favorite things to tell people is that I work for the city of San Bruno, which I believe is one of the best communities out there,” Cuevas said.

She managed to do all this throughout high school, while somehow still maintaining a 4.0 GPA, making her a part of the National Honors Society.

Motivation: “I am motivated by the friends and family that I have, who tell me to keep going and achieve all that I can,” Cuevas said. “I also keep myself motivated by constantly staying busy with different activities and gaining new interests through what my friends like to do.”

Added her father, Scott Cuevas: “I believe she is mostly motivated by her heart. She always tries to do the right thing, even when she should just let it go.”

Key to awesomeness: “She is her own person and is not swayed easily by peer pressure,” her father said. “She has an inherent set of ethics that guide her when she needs to make choices.”

“She is willing to try things that may be out of her comfort zone,” he added.

Jane Stahl, the volunteer project leader with the San Bruno 4-H Club, frequently worked with Cuevas while she was a part of the club. “She knows that if she puts in some effort into a project, she can make herself happy as well as doing something good for the club,” Stahl said.

Plans for the future: Cuevas will be attending San Francisco State University in the fall and is hoping to become a photographer or do something with advertising as a future career.

“Like most parents, Ellen and I hope that she finds her calling and achieves her dreams,” Scott Cuevas said. “As long as a child is happy, healthy and able to make it on their own, what else could a parent ask for?”