I
loved the movie, The Blind Side, with Saundra Bullock. The movie portrayed a talented young man that overcame many obstacles: born poor, one of 12 children, and his mother was an alcoholic and crack addict. Against all odds, Michael Oher was given an opportunity to enroll in a Christian school, live with a wealthy family, and later went on to play college football. Today, Michael is an offensive lineman playing for the Baltimore Ravens! I always cry when I hear inspiring stories on how people overcame adversity. QuestBridge scholars have similar amazing stories.
Daniel
Flores is a 2009 QuestBridge College Match Recipient. Daniel’s parents were
immigrants from Peru that spoke little English. They settled in San Antonio, Texas,
in a neighborhood full of crime and violence. Even though his parents never
attended college, they believed that education would be the key to his success.
Daniel
attended a large public high school with over 4,000 students. His school was
one of the most violent in the district with a parole officer on campus. Despite
the dim circumstances, Daniel was involved in sports such as soccer, swimming, and
water polo. He was also part of the Honor Societies and volunteered in
community service. He pushed himself academically by taking advanced classes. After
graduation, Daniel planned to enroll in his local community college. One day, a
friend pointed to a QuestBridge poster hanging in a classroom and said, “Hey,
you should do that.” Even though it sounded too good to be true, he applied and
submitted the QuestBridge National College application. Today, he is attending
Northwestern University for four years free including room and board! Over
$220,000 was awarded by Northwestern.
Next week, I will share how QuestBridge is partnering with the nation’s top universities.
To
view Daniel Flores’ full story and to read about other QuestBridge success
stories, go to:
No comments:
Post a Comment