Cool Kid Jeanette Moreno helps students achieve college dreams as ROTC leader

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Our ABC7 Cool Kid for Thursday, Nov. 20, is Jeanette Moreno, a leader who's making quite an impression on everyone she meets, whether at school or in her community.

"It's indescribable the feeling you get just knowing that you helped someone out, that it was you and your team, you guys did something selfless," Moreno says. "It's not going to benefit you in any way, but it's going to benefit someone else."

Moreno has found many ways to help many people.

As the Battalion Commander of the Junior ROTC program at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, she has been involved in projects from raising funds to educating girls in developing countries to writing letters to service people overseas. All the while, she impresses with the way she handles every job.

"The way she carries herself, and what she has to do, she researches and finds out what's the next step, and what's going to happen after that, not waiting around for things to happen -- she just kind of makes those things happen," Senior Army Instructor 1SG Raymond L. Eason said.

Another way she helps? By being a peer counselor for students who want to get into college.

"The college process is really frustrating for seniors, not many seniors know where to start so it's our job to get them started on applications, sign up for the SAT, ACT, make them see that, 'yes, it's important to take these tests if you want to go to this college,'" Moreno said.

Moreno has a very personal reason to help these students make it to college. It started with her father.

"He really wanted to go and due to different circumstances, he couldn't, and that's why I really want to make sure that these kids know that they're able to do that," she said.

Moreno's priorities include inspiring girls to get an education, helping students find their way to college and being a friendly voice to soldiers a long way from home.