Posted on 08/29/22
| News Source: abc7ny
Students at Yula High School Boys Division surprised a math teacher with a car on Thursday.
Julio Castro traveled to and from work using the public bus, sometimes commuting more than two hours one way. Castro lives in Santa Clarita, and the Jewish private school where he teaches is located in Los Angeles' Pico-Robertson neighborhood.
"It is roughly two hours. It depends, if I miss my bus, I wait another half hour or an hour," said Castro.
A group of students spent the summer raising more than $30,000, getting donations from various organizations like Galpin Motors and the nonprofit The Change Reaction.
"He made sure I understood all of the material by sitting down with me during his lunch breaks and sacrificing his time after school where he could be getting to the bus stop going back home," said Joshua Gerendash, a senior at the school.
The students surprised Castro with a 2019 Mazda CX-3.
"I feel surprised. I feel special. So thank you to my students. They are like my kids as well," said Castro.