Stanford-bound
Hard work, scholarship assist San Luis High senior
SAN LUIS, Ariz. – A language barrier and limited finances haven’t stopped a San Luis High School senior from pursuing his dreams of a university education.
In fact, beginning in September, Carlos Ivan Rodriguez will attend Stanford University on a full-ride scholarship. Rodriguez got the news of his acceptance to the prestigious university last month.
“It was Dec. 3. I was in a National Honor Society meeting at the school and I checked my email. I’m
very excited. I don’t know what the change is going to be like, but I have heard many good things about (Stanford).”
It would be an understatement to say Rodriguez has made a big transition since the first day he set foot on the campus of San Luis High School. A native of San Luis Rio Colorado, the most immediate obstacle he faced was one of language.
“I understood English,” he said, “but I didn’t know how to write it well. My grammar wasn’t very good, and then I would speak it and people wouldn’t understand what I was saying.”
But Rodriguez was motivated, as later became clear from the progress he made.
“I was in English classes and then they put me in the regular classes. I struggled the first year and got through with all B’s. But after that I got all A’s.”
The other obstacle was one of finances. His stepfather Gabriel worked as a warehouseman for a local business, while his mother worked in the agricultural fields.
“We were doing all right when we lived in Mexico, but since we came here, the family has struggled more economically. In the beginning, I didn’t even have internet, and (the schoolwork) that I had to do I had to send from McDonald’s, in order to use internet. But I didn’t give up.”
He later learned about QuestBridge National College Match, a program that matches academically excelling students from low-income families with colleges and universities that can offer scholarships.
“During my junior year, I realized that my parents would not be able to help me afford my college education,” Rodriguez said. “I asked teachers for help, and they suggested that I start researching scholarships. But in January of 2018, QuestBridge sent an email asking me to apply, and it seemed too good to be true. I considered top schools to be out of my reach, but QuestBridge offered guidance during the college application process, so regardless of my self-doubts, I decided to apply.”
Rodriguez says students are uninformed about the different types of scholarships and financial aid that are available to them to pursue their higher education goals.
He praised the San Luis Lions Club for providing him a scholarship a year to attend a career exploration camp at Brown University in Rhode Island. “I wish there were more organizations that provided that kind of help that is needed, besides the scholarships that universities give. I am very thankful to them.”
For now, he says, he’s trying to help classmates at San Luis High School apply for their own financial aid through QuestBridge.
Youths in San Luis have much potential, he says, but “it’s potential that’s asleep. It’s waiting to be awakened.”
The oldest of two children in his family, Rodriguez counts his mother as his biggest inspiration.
“Whenever I saw my mom working in the field, she would tell me that she didn’t want that life for me. So I pushed myself and school has gone well for me. She worked for a long time in the field, and now she is studying English.”
Rodriguez has yet to make a final decision on the major he will pursue, but says it will be related to his desire to pursue a career in the field of neurological health care.