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Michael Padilla’s world changed the moment he met Gwendolyne Dixon—or Ms. Dixon, as he knew her back then.

As an aspiring actor on the verge of becoming freshman at Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose, Padilla was taking summer classes in 2012 when he revealed that he enjoyed acting. That caught the attention of his teacher, Dixon—a former independent film producer, who has family ties in the entertainment industry—and forever changed their relationship.

“In every situation, you have to take that risk, because if you don’t you won’t know the outcome,” said Padilla. “That’s something few teachers will ever tell you. And I’m grateful Ms. Dixon did.”

Shortly after their summer class, Dixon became Padilla’s life coach, guiding, mentoring and inspiring the young thespian towards a career dedicated to acting and film production.

Before graduating this year from Evergreen Valley, Padilla was asked to participate in a statewide Spanish-language short film campaign called Gracias Maestros produced by the California Lottery, which featured stories of educators and the students they’ve helped.  Padilla—a Mexican-American native of San Jose—saw an opportunity to express his gratitude toward his mentor.

“I don’t think I would be able to write this in a letter,” Padilla said. “This was a way to show her what she has done for me.”

“The best thing that i’ve heard is that you take the opportunity that other people aren’t going for,” he added. “I took it right away. And I liked the idea of Gracias Maestros, thanking a teacher, a documentary about my passion. And it was a great way to talk about different issues that I wanted to cover. Being a filmmaker for minority groups, there’s so many issues.”

Padilla’s long-term goals include addressing issues in the LGBT community through film, as well as Hollywood’s overall lack of diversity. Having already written scripts and screenplays that focus on the immigrant experience, Padilla hopes to eventually start a production company or talent agency that focuses on communities and actors of color.

But he’s adamant that films and projects need to have a message. He draws inspiration from Selena Gomez, one of the executive producers of the popular Netflix show “13 Reasons Why,” which addresses the issue of teen suicide. And in an age where actors, directors and producers of color are gaining mainstream recognition for major motions pictures, such as “Moonlight,” Padilla is motivated that much more.

“Nobody wants to be scared to try something new,” Padilla said. “With all these films coming out, it’s so moving to know that it’s ok to create these things and show them. And I praise and congratulate the people who did. “Moonlight” won the Oscars and was a great success, and I’m pretty sure the director and writer of that film were probably going through that phase of, ‘Should I really do this?’ And it’s great that they did that. It’s great for us, because we are the new change. It’s not unheard of anymore.”

Dixon helped him overcome a similar fear.

Her words to Padilla as he was on the verge of graduating and uncertain as to what to where to go or what to take in college, were simple.

“Fear of failure can be crippling. As a result, you can choose not to pursue your dreams, but you will never fulfill it if you do not take the risk,” Dixon told Padilla. Moved by her words, he even asked her to write them.

“She told me, ‘Take what you like. You can’t just know what you want. You can’t just go online on a university web page and say, this is what I want to do,’” Padilla said, who will be attending community college to study film production. “She’s just really helpful. It’s not even acting in general. It has to do with just being a great teacher.”