NEDERLAND — At the end of the month, Nederland High School senior Isis Petersell will graduate, but that wasn’t always a sure thing.

Petersell received the Shining Star award from Judge Brad Burnett at the Precinct 7 Justice of the Peace office Wednesday. The award is given to students who have overcome adversity.

A few of Petersell’s teachers wrote nomination letters for her and attended the ceremony.

Burnett said Petersell had been in trouble with attendance and even engaged in criminal mischief, which landed her in a Jefferson County juvenile correctional facility at one point.

Burnett read the letters from the teachers aloud, which moved Petersell to tears. However, Burnett was not finished. He also read aloud a letter that a second-grade Petersell wrote to her 18-year-old self as a class assignment 10 years ago.

“It was emotional,” Petersell said of the ceremony. “It’s overwhelming to see all of this and to see how many people care. It’s interesting to look back and to see how far I’ve come.”

Petersell’s mother, Phoenix Sheffield, was emotional, saying she was proud to see her daughter recognize and develop her potential.

“As a parent you always know, or you always have a hope. Everything in the world can steer them one way or the other. I’m proud she has a good head on her shoulders to stay on the path that she knows she wants to be on,” she said.

Sheffield said her daughter came a long way since her freshman year.

Petersell said she was bullied throughout school and is working to make sure others do not have to endure what she did.

“You see it in the halls,” Petersell said. “You see it everywhere, whether it’s a teacher to a student, or students to students. After seeing what it did to me, I just can’t let that happen to other people. I report the bullies, no matter who they are, because it’s not right no matter who they are.”

Burnett began awarding the Shining Star in 2003 after his office encountered students who were overcoming adversities.

“At that time, we had a big truancy court going,” Burnett said. “So many of the staff from Port Neches-Groves and Nederland said, ‘We really see a difference after you pat them on the back and get them going. Why don’t you continue doing that?’”

That’s when Burnett’s office came up with the Shining Star award, given annually to one high school student who takes advantage of opportunities and has a turnaround.

“I enjoy sharing the stories with the younger students,” he said. “They’ll come in here and see the pictures. We have all of the pictures of our former recipients on the bulletin board.”

Teachers, counselors, principals or any other staff members from NISD or PNGISD nominate students, who must meet the following criteria:

• Be enrolled as a high school student in Mid County.
• Work hard to overcome adversity.
• Became a good student who stayed out of trouble and is law abiding.

Burnett said he would like to receive two or three letters of nomination for a potential recipient.

Petersell said she is going to take a gap semester to learn more about audio-visual production at Sheffield productions, which her family owns. Afterwards, she intends to go to Lamar University and later transfer to the University of Texas.