(rap music playing) My name is Savannarath Nop.

I live in Long Beach, California, with my boyfriend and his parents and I attend Rosie the Riveter Charter High School.

This guy, who, like, I guess they live in their car, and they'll be, like, parked right across the street and they'll start yelling and screaming early in the morning and I guess he hits his girlfriend and stuff.

FILMMAKER: Is it different from here and your mom's place?

Yeah, it's real different.

Over there it's, like, worse.

I knew I had to leave my mom's house.

When I'd come home from school I'd sit and think to myself, like, "This is not what you want to be around all the time, "to be around drugs, to be around people that always doubt you."

My biggest obstacle is overcoming my past.

I ended up at Rosie because I didn't have enough credits.

I was attending Long Beach Poly High School.

At Poly I was ditching because I kind of got distracted, but at Rosie everyone helps me there.

I have four brothers and sisters.

An older sister, she's 22.

My other sister is 21 and my older brother is 20.

Out of my brothers and sisters, I'll be the first to graduate high school.

TEACHER: And all of us come through this.

So, we listen to people talk, we only hear what we want...

So, Rosie the Riveter, we have students from 16 to 24 who have struggled in their previous education, whether they dropped out, couldn't complete it for personal reasons, whether it's a baby, their family.

You know, life happens.

I'm worried about today because I have to do my presentation and interview with Miss Mercado.

MATT CREHAN: If Savanna gets her work done, then she should be okay.

She needs to pass the presentation toda in order to walk.

SAVANNA: I don't know how to feel right now of graduation.

When they pulled us out of class to take a picture in our cap and gowns, I had the biggest smile ever, because I never thought I would actually be close to graduating.

And after this I have to go home and do my APTs and stuff, so it's like stressful.

This whole week and next week will be.

SAVANNAH: LVNs, what do they do?

Must be very compassionate and patient and be excellent caregivers.

I plan on going to Long Beach City College.

FILMMAKER (off-camera): How do you feel now that it's all finished?

Relieved.

FILMMAKER (off-camera): How do you think you did?

Not good.

ISABEL LARA: The only ones in the room should be graduates.

If you're not graduating, wait for us outside, please.

Are we ready?

All right, here we go!

(crowd cheering, graduation music playing) It's been a really hard journey for some of them and unfortunately there are two students who didn't receive all of the credits, and one of them is Savanna.

MERCADO: Congratulations, class of 2013!

(applause) (rap music playing) SAVANNAH: It felt like I was going to graduate but then I got sick and missed a lot of work, so I missed graduation.

It made me feel like... pfff.

Like the world just came crashing in.

I just... because I, like, I was really looking forward to it and I was so close.

What's going to be different next year?

I'm going back to Rosie to really focus.

I just want to go there and get my stuff done.

Because I know I can get it done.

I know I can get through December... easy.