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Three East Palo Alto teens will be honored at the annual Family Service Winners Breakfast Friday at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto.

Bianca Castrejon, Quinntesha Simpson and Gabriela "Gabby" Trujillo will each be awarded $1,000 at a ceremony.

The awards are given for conquering extreme adversity, which could have prevented them from excelling academically.

All three are examples of "unsung Peninsula heroes: everyday people who are extraordinary ... who have become role models for their peers," according to a press release from Family Service, a San Mateo County nonprofit organization.

Bianca Castrejon was diagnosed with the disease lupus in her junior year at Carlmont High School in Belmont. Despite being ill, she worked to get the credits necessary to graduate.

Another problem arose when she tried to return to school: She was not re-enrolled because of a language barrier between her parents and Carlmont. Despite this new blow, Bianca took extra classes to earn the credits needed for graduation. Bianca will attend the College of San Mateo where she will study to become an art teacher.

Quinntesha Simpson had to work harder than most people her age, as a result of a mother with a drug problem, and had to take care of her two little sisters.

During Quinntesha's freshman year at Menlo-Atherton High School, her mother's situation worsened. Deciding that she did not want to end up as her mother did, she worked to achieve good grades in spite of having to act as the caretaker of her sisters and suffering from several learning disabilities.

Her inspiration comes from her grandmother, a woman who always puts others' needs above her own, according to Family Service.

Gabriela "Gabby" Trujillo has succeeded in all her classes at Eastside College Preparatory in East Palo Alto, in addition to aiding her mother in cleaning houses, singing in a choir, acting and playing soccer.

She also has to deal with the fact that her mother has cancer and has to undergo cancer treatments while working to support the family. Gabby looks up to her mother and emulates her in independence and willpower.

Gabby hopes to attend a four-year college, where she wants learn how to become a pediatric oncologist.

The breakfast starts at 7 a.m. Information is available at www.familyserviceagency.org.