Good Sports: Edison High School soccer player at the top of her class

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Bissetti Ueno-DaSilva is one Tiger with many stripes.

She's exactly what the Edison High campus is looking for.

Out of 536 graduating seniors, she's number one. Her GPA is so high, it's capped at 4.32.

"She'll be the first one to praise," says Edison High Athletic Director Dave Wheeler. "She won't only praise herself, she'll praise her staff that's helped her along the way."

"Especially the admin that's here -- they're super supportive, and they'll guide you along on all your dreams and ambitions," Bissetti said.

Her dream is to be a veterinarian.

You'll notice she's wearing scrubs on campus. It's all part of her four-year journey in Edison's biomedical pathway program.

"This has really given me hands-on experience before I get into college and grad school," she said.

That experience got her into prestigious private universities like Northwestern and Johns Hopkins.

She ultimately chose UCLA.

"There are a lot of perks that come with it, and I just couldn't turn that offer down," Bissetti said.

She juggles just about everything there is to offer at Edison.

Soccer captain, defensive player of the year, class valedictorian and a mentor for the school's Rise Up program that strives to increase the representation of black students in AP and honor courses.

It's a resume that earned her the school's nomination for this year's B'nai B'rith Award, an annual scholarship given to Fresno's top student-athlete for nearly 75 years.

"Also able to represent the hard work that my mom has put into raising me," she said.

But on the night of the awards ceremony, she couldn't help but think about her father.

"I know that he'd be really happy to see me up there on the stage," she said.

In the summer of 2022, just before her sophomore year, Bisetti's father, Alfredo, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

"There was nothing we could really do," she said.

Less than two months later, Alfredo passed away, making all her accomplishments over the last three years bittersweet.

"Not having my father by my side through these moments has been really tough, but knowing he's watching over me has really pushed me through these moments," she said.

As she gets ready to leave for UCLA this fall, Bissetti says she knows he'll still be watching.

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