Debbie Cross is passion personified.
"Some of them don't know how great they are. They're just kind of clueless until you start telling them what they've done," says Cross about her students at Metro Tech High School in Phoenix.
She taught business there for 22 years and still advises the school's Future Business Leaders of America chapter, which she has led to state championships.
"One assistant principal told me once, I need to get a life. And I did. It was the FBLA kids!"
Even during treatments for breast cancer, Cross remained committed to her kids.
"I was here every day. The kids saw me go bald. One day I had hair, the next day I didn't."
For students like Flavio Martinez, who graduated in 2011, having Cross as his teacher was life-changing.
"I had a number of adults who looked at me like this big-mouth clown, and Debbie saw far beyond that. And I still thank her to this day for where I'm at in life. Because she was one of the individuals who believed in me that I could make it."
And that's why Debbie Cross is one of Nick's Heroes!
All around us in the Valley, people go above and beyond to help make our community even better. We want to know who they are! Nominate someone today and tell us why they should be one of Nick's Heroes.They could win a $500 gift card from our friends at Valley Toyota Dealers.
