For the first time in history, all graduating students from Esperanza College Prep in East Los Angeles have been admitted to a Cal State or UC university, and some gifted they have been accepted at prestigious institutions such as UC Berkeley or Stanford University.
“It’s like a dream come true,” said director Rosa Elena Alanís. “This generation of the achievements of teachers, parents and mainly, students. ”
Since the opening of the charter school, in August 2017, administrators, teachers, counselors and all parties involved in the educational process set the goal that all students in the last year they would graduate with excellent grades in academic achievement. The average of these average rate is 3 . 44.
“Give it a try!” was the prevailing motto among those who committed to high-quality instruction and personalized support that is tailored to the needs of each student.
“With desire, everything is possible; It is one of our values ”, expressed Rosa Elena Alanís, to Real America News. “We always teach students and their parents to strive lovingly to reach the goal.”
As part of the EdNovate network of free, independent, public charter schools in Esperanza College Prep had autonomy and the flexibility to adapt their school to the needs of the students.
That autonomy was reflected particularly since the closure of the school, the 13 March 2020 because of the covid pandemic – 19.
“The entire EdNovate team decided that everyone students would be sent home with a computer and prepared, in order to continue virtual teaching the 100% of their expenses ”, Informed Nadia López, coordinator of families and students.
“ Later, we made certain changes to class schedules, breaks, support with office hours, to families who had need of food they were helped weekly, if they did not have Wi-Fi or the computer did not work, they all had technical support ”, he said.
Through EdNovate, which runs the charter schools Legacy College Prep in Santa Ana; USC Hybrid High College Prep; Esperanza College Prep in East Los Angeles; Brío College Prep in the Pico-Union area; East College Prep in Lincoln Heights and South LA College Prep, families were helped with money to pay their bills for basic services, so that students could focus on their virtual studies.
“Also, we were able to provide money for funerals for families who lost relatives,” added Nadia López. “In difficult times EdNovate was with families and students… that had to do a lot for us to reach the 100% of acceptances in universities. ”
While the 82 students of Esperanza College Prep school, located at on Dozier Street, in East Los Angeles, they will have their graduation party next June and a month later they will attend face-to-face classes at the universities, Laurie Ugalde, who has been named student coordinator will follow up on all of them, together with the university counselor, Álvaro Rodríguez.
Luis Cruz wants to buy a house for his mom to and a truck to his father
María Isabel Pulido Renteria is a mother from Jalisco who smiles fully because of her four children, two are already in college and their only son, Luis Cruz, from years he was accepted to the Ivy League universities, but he decided on the prestigious Stanford University.
“As a mother, it’s a dream,” said María Isabel, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico. “In them I see reflected my aspirations to be someone in life; I wanted to be a surgeon or a lawyer, but my parents didn’t have the money to pay me a degree. ”
Luis submitted his application to Ivy League universities: Brown, Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania and six more.
“I was accepted into the 12, but I decided that my future is at Stanford University ”, stated Luis, a quiet young man, but Super smart. His academic average is 4. 72.
His sister Laurie is studying counseling and his sister Carolina is at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
Yes dreams The mother’s were to give her children a university education, based on great sacrifices, now Luis’s dream is to buy a house and a Toyota Thunder truck for his father, Luis Javier Cruz.
The Esperanza College Prep student has in mind to study Political Science, although he also wishes to pursue a professional career in the teaching and instruction of English.
“I would like to teach what I have learned and I know that I can influence the new generations so that they learn to know that by working hard one can achieve the goals that one proposes ”, said Luis.
In fact, he has received $ 1 scholarships, 000 and Stanford will help you with $ 82, 000 so that you can finish the professional career you decide.
Apart from studying, when you can, you will continue to help your family with the business of renting chairs, tables and bouncers for parties .
“He is a very special boy” said the proud mother. “He knows how to earn his own money.”
However, Mr. Luis Javier Cruz, despite being undocumented, would not be intimidated if his son had decided to go to study outside of California and having to pass immigration checkpoints.
“I don’t care where you go, wherever you are we will find a way to go see you,” said María Isabel about the words of her husband to his son Luis.
“He had already accepted that he was going away, but he said that, if he had to drive 30 hours, I would, whether or not there was “‘migrates” because he loves all his children equally. ”
Grace González wants to put a restaurant in her mother
Grace González has 18 years and her mother Elvia Martínez goes out of her way, works and sells tamales for her daughter to go to college, a goal they are both about to meet because the outstanding Esperanza College Prep student was accepted to begin her professional career at UC Berkeley.
Every day from 6 o’clock: 30 In the morning, Elvia, a native of San Sebastián Teitipac, Oaxaca, puts up tamales in the Plaza del Mariachi and with the little or much she earns, she saves to pay for the expenses of her house and help her daughter with her studies.
“I have told her that she will be my responsibility until I finish college,” said this single mother, who has another young son named Rey. “That is the future of my daughter, not of one, so that she can defend herself better later; I know she will be leaving very soon, but I will travel to see her. ”
For her part, Grace, born in Boyle Heights, joyfully expresses her goals of achieving two specializations in business administration and sociology.
“I’m still waiting to know if they give me the offer of housing in Berkeley,” he told Real America News. ” Next week my advisor [Alejandra Chávez] and I will travel to Berkeley to get answers. ”
Grace González, who said she was a math lover, obtained an academic average of 4.0, which is why which had greater chances of being accepted to the prestigious University of Northern California.
Aside from the two careers she wants, Grace has other goals. She wants to succeed economically in life and help her mother, who has brought her forward, together with her brother Rey.
“She has had multiple jobs so that we do not lack anything, so when I can, I will help him to have his own restaurant, “he stressed. “My mother cooks very well, works in a restaurant, but it will be better when she has hers.”
Grace has learned some of the slogans of her life well in her veins. school: Ganas, Familia y Cultura.
“I want to persevere in studying and overcome difficult obstacles. To my family, because I have the support of my mother who is with me in good times and bad; and culture, because I am proud of my Mexican roots and of knowing who I am. ”