Anry Fuentes from The Denair High School senior is the first city's transgender cheerleader.
The 17-year-old, transgender, wanted to be a cheerleader when she slipped on the cheerleader's uniform at her California high school, but becoming the first transgender member of the squad was the last thing on her mind.
"When I was first trying out for the cheer squad, I wasn't like, 'I'm going to be the first transgender girl,' " Fuentes tells PEOPLE. "I was just trying out because I wanted to be a cheerleader, and I wanted to dance and cheer."
Her hard work paid off as she made the team’s varsity cheerleading squad. But soon after, she made a decision that would also make history in Denair.
When Anry Fuentes first made the team on April, she was still identified as a male and was issued a male's cheerleading uniform.
She later decided to tell the team about her transition during a group meeting.
She wanted to tell the team and let the team know what was going on with her, some were still calling her as Henry her real name.
"They were really nice," she says. "They were like, 'We support you for who you are. We love you, and it's not going to change anything. We're not going to see you any differently.' " "No one has ever made me feel weird or like I shouldn't be there," Fuentes says. "They're really supportive."
Many of them have known Anry for a long time after growing up together in a small town where the high school has less than 300 students.
Fuentes' father died when she was young, and she said her mother has dealt with her transition.
Fuentes has not try any type of surgery or hormone treatments yet in her transition.
As for her time at Denair, the desire is that when the next transgender student comes along seeking to be part of the cheerleading team, it won't be the first story any more.
