Note: This story includes details of drug and sexual abuse. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- This year's Remarkable Woman is unlike any nominee before her. She has overcome unbelievable adversity, including human trafficking, sexual abuse and gang involvement, to now guiding Bakersfield students fac ing their own obstacles. Recently, those students and her colleagues helped 17 News pull off a remarkable surprise. It's still a surprise to Dess Perkins when people stand up and cheer for her. "She deserves it. She's been doing a lot for us -- me personally. She does a lot for me. She's always been there for me," said Ridgeview High School junior Ray'Sean Drummer. MORE: Remarkable Women "She is an incredible person. She has an incredible story of resilience from surviving human trafficking to turning that story around and helping so many people in the community especially our youth who are at risk," said Rony Alvarez, who nominated Perkins for the Remarkable Woman contest. There was a time when Perkins was kicked out of high school, but now she works at one. When she was a teenager, she was tormented by extreme poverty, trafficked by her mother and molested by people who were supposed to protect her. She learned to cope by drinking, stealing and fighting. Now, her counseling office is a safe space at Ridgeview High School. "I take being a counselor, I take being a teacher, I take all of that very, very seriously," says Perkins. "It wasn't until high school that someone actually showed me that they cared. And it was Ruscel Reader. So yeah, that's why I do what I do. She was the first person who bought me anything. The first person that told me I mattered. The first person who came to my house and knock on my door and check on me when I was going through everything. So it means a lot. And that's what I try to do for them." Odessa Perkins and a surprise meeting with the woman who helped change her life Drummer knows the commitment Perkins has to each and every student. "For me, she always helps me with advice, regarding school or personal life or issues. It's like a safe space for me. I can always come in her counselor's office and just talk to her and she will always give me advice on how to do better and be better," said Drummer. "I've been in law enforcement for 19 years and unfortunately the majority of those stories are tragic and most of the girls don't make it, so her story is one in a million. The fact that she survived and became this incredible woman, I couldn't think of anyone else to nominate for this award," says Alvarez. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW A heartfelt surprise, for a remarkable woman. "I just look at it like I'm doing what wasn't done for me. I don't see myself as remarkable I just see myself as I love the students I want them to be OK, and that's all that matters," Perkins says. ...read more read less