“Welcome to the best four years of your life,” a voice says over the intercom outside of Roosevelt High School.
The voice belongs to Mr. Gertner, the high school’s principal, who proudly greets new students right as a girl steps into the nearly 100-year-old campus.
The girl’s name is Nayelli, and she has arrived at her first day of high school. Her mom has driven her through Roosevelt’s Boyle Heights home, past historical and cultural neighborhood symbols like Mariachi Plaza and El Mercado.
Nayelli’s mother has made sure she is pumped up with school spirit: rapper DMX’s 90s hit “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem” is blasting on the car stereo, a nod to the Roosevelt mascot, the Rough Riders.