Local Heroes: For students affected by the California wildfires, this Zum driver is like family

This morning, Carneisha Ramirez picked up students on her school bus route and delivered them safely to their elementary school. 

It sounds like a typical day for thousands of kids across the country — but the students at Marquez Charter Elementary School in Palisades, CA, are especially happy to see Ramirez, who has been an uplifting presence since their school building was destroyed in the devastating California wildfires in January.

“I love what I do,” says Ramirez, a mother of four and Zum school bus driver for Los Angeles Unified School District. “My students are very bright and well-behaved. They’re just good kids.”

Ramirez first got to know the Marquez Elementary students in the aftermath of the fire, when she was transporting them to a temporary school location in Santa Monica, CA. In September, the Palisades campus reopened with temporary classrooms. Families and school leadership made a special request that Ramirez remain their driver.

“(This school) is always coming together as a community,” she says. “They’re there for each other, they help each other out. I just love the support from the staff and from the parents. They’re very supportive of me as well.”

“Carneisha is incredibly professional, caring and loving with the students she transports,” says Jeova Chaves, General Manager at Zum in Gardena, CA. “Her personal motto is that she treats every student as she would want someone to treat her own children. She thrives under pressure and is a true leader, always completing everything required of her.”

On the day the Marquez campus reopened, Ramirez says the students were excited — and surprised to see news cameras outside the school. 

“When we got there … OMG!” she says. “It was a lot going on that day.”

Many things have changed in this school community: For one, Ramirez’s route now takes her all over the area, since families have been displaced. Other families have left because they can’t afford to rebuild. On the bus, kids often talk to Ramirez about their new homes. 

“(One girl) was like, ‘I want to get my dream room. It’s going to be bigger,’” she says.

One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the affection Ramirez has for the students. By creating a cheerful and safe environment on the school bus, she helps each child start and end their day on a positive note. 

“What makes my day is seeing the smiles on my students’ faces as soon as they see me pulling up,” she says. “I just love them. I honestly do.”