Acacia Lara, 16, is a strong role model for her community - not to mention her little brother and three younger sisters.
The junior at Roseland University Prep in Santa Rosa is a year-around soccer league goalie who maintains a
4.3 grade point average and has a knack for acing tests without much effort.
She's active in her community, volunteering for Sports City's Rising Stars, which helps kids with disabilities, and recently spearheaded the collection of about 520 pairs of jeans for homeless youth.
"She has set the bar so high for my kids it's ridiculous," said Acacia's mother, Amber Lara, 34, of Santa Rosa.
But Acacia's mother only has herself to blame.
Lara, who was 17 when Acacia was born, did her best to keep her on the right track. Lara, whose mother and grandmother were teen moms, said she was determined to "break the cycle" with Acacia.
From Lara, who used to work in group homes helping young kids deal with their issues, Acacia learned the importance of hard work, empathy and helping others.
"She has been very strict - not in a mean way, but strict in a way that she makes sure I go down the right path ... there's no other choice for me," said Acacia.
Acacia has grown up in west Santa Rosa. She attended JX Wilson Elementary and Herbert Slater Junior High School before getting into RUP.
She always was the kid in elementary school who sat with the student eating lunch alone. When kids at school gossiped or bad-mouthed others who were not there, Acacia let them know that was not OK.
Earlier this year, while searching for volunteer opportunities on the Internet, Acacia came across Aeropostale's Teens for Jeans program, a campaign aimed at collecting donated jeans for homeless youth.
At first, she tried collecting jeans through school but soon found a better venue at her great-grandmother's business, Barber Insurance Agency on College Avenue.
Acacia advertised her collection efforts on the agency's website and soon friends and family were sharing the information page. The word spread and donations of jeans followed.
At Sport City, Acacia has volunteered for a program aimed at exposing kids with cognitive and/or physical disabilities to play soccer.
"I learned how rewarding it is to teach someone to do something I love to do," she said. "They have so much fun."
Acacia is the goalie for Atletico Santa Rosa, an under-16 girls team that competes in college showcase tournaments around Northern and Southern California and Nevada. She hopes to be recruited by a four-year university.
She's trained by Messias Dos Santos, a Brazilian goal-keeper trainer who also is director of Atletico Santa Rosa.
"She's probably one of the hardest working kids on the team," said Matt Dold, the team's head coach. "She's one of the top goal-keepers in this area."
Ultimately, Acacia said, she would like to work with troubled youth in a big city where the need is great.
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