“I’m so blessed to announce my acceptance to Harvard. This has been my dream since I was a little girl. As a first generation student and the oldest daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, getting accepted to Harvard means the world to me. I still can’t believe Harvard chose me, la muchacha mexicana de Belmont Cragin…I’m the most excited about bringing more Hispanic and Latina representation to Harvard. Remember that you are more than enough.”

“It is surreal to recount these successes, now approaching the other end of my Chicago Scholars journey as a self-employed budding college graduate. I wish I could tell the 17-year-old version of myself that first started the college readiness workshops how what I would learn and gain throughout these years would change my life. It is important to listen to and validate young people of color. In the work I do with the community now, I take from Chicago Scholars the value of providing people with what we can because there is always something we can do for others. I’m grateful to not have just been serviced by this program but to pass the blessings forward. Thank you to Chicago Scholars for sticking with me, and others like me along the way.”