Renita Smith

Renita Smith is my hero because she made brave and selfless actions. She put herself before others and to me, that makes her a hero. She was a school bus driver for the Glenarden Woods Elementary School in Glenarden, Maryland. She had a special type of connection with her students. I know for sure that she wouldn't let anything happen to those kids and that I would completely trust her with my kids if I had any. I hope she is always recognized for her brave actions.

Renita Smith, a 36 year old woman, has two kids, an 18 year old son and a 4 year old daughter. She lives in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Renita has been a school bus driver since 2014, but has been in the school system since 1999. She stated that she truly loves her job, the opportunity of meeting new students, and having a bond with each of them. On September 12, 2016, she was having a normal trip. At around 4:45pm her brake light turned on, she figured she can at least make it to the next stop. Unfortunately, she was wrong. She started to smell smoke. As she picked up her radio, she looked at her rear window and saw a fire started on the back tire. She immediately rushed her students off the bus. Some neighbors came outside as they quickly took the students to a safe haven. But no, not Smith, as the bus was full of smoke and bursting with flames, she ran back on the bus and checked every single row to make sure that all her students were off the bus. Renita Smith is someone who truly deserves great awards and receive positive attitude from anyone forever and always. Not everyone would put themselves through what she did just to make sure that those little kids were safe.

After videos of the incident were uploaded on social media and news outlets, everyone found out about Ms.Smith's heroic actions. Ellen Degeneres saw the video and heard about what happened. She invited Renita to her show, ' The Ellen DeGeneres Show' in Burbank, California to share her experience with her and a nationwide crowd. It was Renita's first time traveling. As the crowd applauded and applauded for her shocking but amazing story, Ellen had a surprise for Smith. Ellen stated that Shutterfly awards people who help others in their community, and Shutterfly excitingly and happily awarded Ms. Smith with a check of $20,000.Good actions come along with even better rewards. As they say, "Do good and good will come to you." I think this quote goes perfectly with this story because Renita honestly is a true hero and has a beautiful heart. Her actions enabled her to be awarded with a prize that not just anybody deserves.

In summation, Renita Smith is a hero because she ran into a burning bus to make sure that all her students made it out the bus safely. She deserves recognition and should be seen as a hero by everyone, especially the students she saved. Renita is a very brave person and has also made selfless decisions. Renita Smith is my hero.