Future of the Ozarks: Despite bout of homelessness, Sydney Miro Evans has perfect attendance, straight A's
Sydney Miro Evans, a senior at Springfield's Glendale High School, has not always had a permanent address or a car to get her to and from class.
She lived with one parent and later another. In between, she stayed with different friends and lined up rides.
"For 2020, for the Fourth of July, first day of school, Halloween and Thanksgiving, I was in all different houses," said Sydney, 17,
The teenager will talk about those obstacles, when asked, but prefers to focus on what she does have — and what has been consistent in her life — including:
Perfect attendance in high school
Straight A's
Experience in a string of student leadership roles
Sydney is not one to brag. That's not her. It is just that showing up each day, doing her best, and accepting responsibility is important to her.
"I just want to be the best version of myself that I can," she said.
"I was going to find a way to make it to school and back every single day. And to get A's on everything."
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Performing well in school is, in her mind, a ticket to a better life, a way to break cycles that have been part of her family history for generations.
"She's self-determined, very self-motivated, probably takes on a lot more than she actually needs to, but she is wonderful," said Teena Mahoney, the journalism advisor at Glendale. "...She is going to succeed. She is going to do something."
Sydney said with all the upheaval in her life, she has struggled with mental health and that battle is ongoing.
She said staying busy helps her stay on track. She briefly considered graduating early but never contemplated dropping out or slacking off.
"I was unexpectedly moving out of a house one night at 9 p.m., like I had to get out and go somewhere else, and the next day I had a Spanish test," she recalled. "There was no slowing down."
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But she has resolve, as well. She wants to make something out of her life. She has big dreams.
"I want to explore my talents," she said. "I want to be singing and dancing and taking pictures at the same time. I want to explore them equally."
Sydney moved to Springfield from Maryland in fifth grade. After Cowden Elementary and Pershing Middle School, she enrolled at Glendale.
Along the way, she has amassed a strong support system, largely at school. She said teachers, school leaders, friends, older siblings and boyfriend Jonathan DeAlba, have all played a role in her success.
"I could not have done my perfect attendance last year if it wasn't for him," she said. "He took me to school every single day. If he couldn't, it was a friend or my sister or it was Uber or a taxi."
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Her grandparents, who live out of state, provided a used car for her this school year.
Glendale Principal Josh Groves first met Sydney when he was principal at Pershing. He said she is memorable.
"Sydney kind of stuck out at Pershing as someone who had a lot of ambition and big plans for herself," Groves said. "I was aware, at the time, of some of the barriers in place for her and things that were challenging. I checked on her a lot, make sure she was OK and had what she needed."
Groves added: "She is one of those kids. I'm pretty sure she was going to be successful with or without our help. But we were definitely keeping an eye on her."
At Glendale, Sydney blossomed. But these years have also been some of the toughest for her life outside of school.
"She is one of those kids you see in the hallways and no matter what you have going on in your life, you're like 'I've got to get it together because look at Sydney and how well composed she is,'" Groves said. "She is a motivator."
He added: "I can't wait to see what she does next."
Sydney is part of student cabinet and the school leadership team. She sings in chamber choir and with the Flockapella group.
In yearbook, she is the photo editor. She films school events, sports and makes videos for school dances as part of her roles with different student groups. She also speaks Spanish, fluently, and is part of the world languages club.
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She was also heavily involved in dance lessons until partway through high school, when her living situation was thrown into upheaval.
She misses dance, and wants to be involved again in the future, but there is little time or money available for it right now.
"I really couldn't really (devote) three days out of my week to dance when I could be out making money, which is kind of a necessity," she said.
Sydney works four days a week at Hong Kong Inn. She also started a photo business on the side called Syndey Miro Media, largely operated through Instagram.
"I take graduation pictures, senior pictures, cap and gown, family pictures, dog pictures, and couple engagements," she said.
"I started by asking my friends 'Hey can I take a few pictures of you, just to practice' and eventually I got good enough to where I could start charging people, like making it my second job."
Mahoney, the journalism adviser, said she marvels at all that Sydney does at school and beyond.
"She is not willing to be a statistic," Mahoney said.
She said Sydney takes ownership of projects and expects a lot from herself and others.
"She's lovely, she really is, and she is the full package," Mahoney said. "She can write. She is creative. She is thoughtful and she'll be a good leader. I have faith in her."
Sydney said she has opened up to Mahoney and to Tabitha Tracy, the choir teacher, and it has helped to have trusted adults in her life.
Tracy admitted she was surprised, even a little caught off-guard, when Sydney shared the details of her home life.
"She is such a studious young woman, like she has incredible grades. She has perfect attendance. She is highly involved with the school and she has a part-time job and her own photography business on the side," Tracy said. "It's just mind-boggling to me how many hats can this kid wear and yet keep up."
Tracy said Sydney is a "phenomenal singer" and is a section leader in chamber choir. She sings, and has been choreographer and taken photos, for the Flockapella group.
"She is incredibly mature for her age because she's had to deal with a lot of things that a typically 18-year-old doesn't have to deal with to graduate, like not knowing how she is going to get to school," Tracy said. "I even chipped in one time and sent her a little through Venmo just so she could get an Uber. That is how important perfect attendance is to her. She is not going to let adversity slow her down."
Sydney still has not decided what she wants to do in college — in part because she is interested in photography, dance and singing.
She has received scholarship offers but hopes to stay in Springfield, and create stability for herself, and study locally or online.
"My dream is to be able to do what I enjoy as my career," Sydney said.
About the series
The "Future of the Ozarks" series, spotlighting extraordinary students in the Ozarks, will publish on Mondays.
The series features students with an incredible talent, accomplishment, or passion for helping others. To nominate an individual, email Claudette Riley, education reporter, with details and contact information at criley@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Glendale's Sydney Miro Evans has perfect attendance, straight A's
