Before Mari Ruiz Hernandez gave up the microphone, she used her platform to convey a message:
“I want you to know that autism is not a disability,” Ruiz Hernandez, a Dutchess BOCES student in the PEACCE Program hosted at Red Hook High School, said. “It’s a different ability.”
Ruiz Hernandez, who lives in the Poughkeepsie City School District, was named BOCES’ Student of Distinction for April and honored at the district’s Board of Education meeting Wednesday.
The 21-year-old is also a part of BOCES’ work-based learning program and attends several integrated classes at Red Hook.
“Mari is an exceptional, bright and determined student, who brings positivity and motivation to school every day. She arrives with enthusiasm and genuinely strives to meet expectations in social, emotional, academic and job-development skills,” Meg Buckland, BOCES’ director of alternative and special education, said at the meeting in a statement Board Member Fatima Carmen Martinez Santiago translated on the spot in order for Ruiz Hernandez’s parents and others to also enjoy. “She shows great respect for both her teachers and classmates, contributing to a positive learning environment.”
Ruiz Hernandez has been attending the Red Hook-based classes since 2019. She said she enjoys learning about math, reading and history, and in her free time likes to write stories featuring characters she created – “Soleo and Friends.”
“My experience at Red Hook High School learning in my PEACCE classroom, (learning subjects) such as food science, art, Spanish and gym, is amazing,” she said.
Through the work study program, Ruiz Hernandez has worked at Hannaford and Williams Lumber in Rhinebeck, folding clothes, bagging groceries and stocking products on shelves.
“I love working at Williams Lumber and Hannaford because it teaches me to be responsible and to work hard,” she said.
Buckland said Ruiz Hernandez’s “dedication and hard work” is in inspiration to her peers.
“Guided by core values, such as honesty, faith, respect, gratitude, humility, compassion, kindness and love, Mari approaches her daily decisions with wisdom and confidence,” Buckland said. “Her positive spirit makes her classroom at Red Hook High School a better place.”
Ruiz Hernandez was appreciative of the Student of Distinction honor.
“I want to thank my teachers, my counselor, administrators, my Mom, my Stepdad and my job coach for always being there for me because they’re the light of the world,” she said.