High School: Gateway High School
College: University of California, San Diego
Area of Study: Computer Science
Career Goal: Founder and CEO of a successful technology company
“Am I old enough to get a job yet?” I asked my dad. “Sure, if you can find one that will hire ten year olds,” he responded every time. As a fifth grader, all I ever wanted was a paying job. By dreadfully watching my parents come home late nights exhausted, I wanted to relieve their stresses. During our time together, we would play ‘Store’, a game that foreshadowed my desired career. I dedicated my past summer to disassembling computers, studying software, and developing professional skills. I want to create a technology company that will ease everyday life, within my community and even lives around the world.
High School: Lowell High School
College: California State University, Fullerton
Area of Study: Business Administration
Career Goal: Own a Business
The choice I made to call CPS took a lot of tears and courage, but it ultimately changed my entire perspective on life. It opened me up to trying new and different experiences. One of the most meaningful achievements that have influenced my educational goals was traveling to a third world country and volunteering by helping build a school for impoverished youth. My passion for helping others has driven me to continue my education, with the hope of one day opening up a program for at risk youth.
High School: Lowell High School
College: University of California, Santa Barbara
Area of Study: Computer Engineering
Career Goal: Civil Engineer
As the daughter of two immigrants from El Salvador, I experienced my parents’ struggle first hand. I acquired skills I would not have learned elsewhere at a very young age. After school, my dad and I fixed everything from cars to vacuum cleaners and I loved it. I became a problem solver, developing my skills year after year. Today, my dream job would be to work for Engineers Without Borders to do work that matters.
High School: Mission High School
College: San Francisco State University
Area of Study: Marine Biology
Career Goal: Marine Biologist
My most meaningful achievement was participating in my science program at UCSF last summer. This program was meaningful to me because it helped me decide what I want to do in college. I know that college is more academically challenging, and I know I will have to study every day. Even after I graduate from college, these lessons will help me in my career because I know by working hard, I can be successful in the field of marine biology and make significant contributions to the world of science.
High School: Raoul Wallenberg High School
College: Tulane University
Area of Study: Sociology
Career Goal: Counselor, Child Development
As a teenager in the San Francisco’s Bayview District, I saw that drugs and violence were a constant part of life, and it felt like my mental and physical safety was always under threat. My self-taught perseverance will keep me striving and wanting more than what I see in my neighborhood. I want to be able to come back to my neighborhood and contribute to make it a safer environment for future kids so that they won’t experience the stories of violence and inability but only hear of them.