Within the final 48 hours, Jonathan Cornejo achieved what had appeared unimaginable.
He dedicated to UC San Diego.
The 17-year-old senior at West Adams Preparatory Excessive College had dreamed of attending the College of California campus ever since center faculty, when he first noticed brochures of the attractive grounds after which realized about its robust science packages.
He knew little about faculty preparation. His mom, a single guardian from El Salvador, didn’t know assist him; she left highschool after ninth grade. However she all the time inspired him to work exhausting at school and pursue his desires. So he did.
As a freshman he bombed his first Superior Placement class — Spanish — although he speaks the language. However he steadily improved his grades, incomes A’s and Bs in honors English, algebra and chemistry as a sophomore. Then incomes A’s in additional AP programs — Spanish literature, biology, U.S. historical past, authorities and politics. His 4.0 GPA, earned whereas serving as pupil physique president and yearbook editor in chief, helped him earn admission to the top-rated UC San Diego.
However because the Could 1 faculty dedication day approached, Jonathan was on the verge of declining the provide. He had determined to attend group faculty as a substitute. Though his monetary support package deal supplied $29,265 in grants — a federal Pell Grant, a Cal Grant and a $10,368 institutional grant from UC San Diego — he confronted a $4,000 shortfall in overlaying the necessary tuition, room and board bills.
His mom, who works from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. most days in two jobs as a low-wage restaurant cook dinner, couldn’t assist him. His personal revenue as a part-time Starbucks barista wouldn’t be sufficient. They didn’t need to take out loans that will financially squeeze them much more. He was disenchanted — even admitted to crying — over his incapability to afford his dream faculty, however instructed himself he would make the most effective of it.
Then, all the things modified. The Occasions wrote about his plight, which displays the wrestle of 1000’s of the state’s poorest college students who’re admitted to UC, however as a substitute select group faculties or California State College partially due to monetary shortfalls. The opposite public greater schooling methods are more cost effective options, with many top-notch instructors and wealthy instructional packages, however have significantly decrease completion charges than UC.
Affords of support poured in. The highschool was deluged with calls. Occasions readers requested how they may assist.
“There’s something about that perseverance and tenacity that’s inspiring,” one reader wrote. “With respect to Jonathan, he has labored tremendously exhausting at school, works at Starbucks, doesn’t have a father in his life, and his mom holds two jobs. Regardless of the setbacks he pushes on and perseveres. He’s the kind of individual you need to root for in life. That’s what precipitated me (and I’m certain many others) to donate to him, regardless of having by no means met him.”
Emily Gramajo, a pupil at West Adams Preparatory Excessive College.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Occasions)
With so many provides of support, Jonathan’s faculty counselor, Jacqueline Villatoro, helped arrange GoFundMe pages for him and his classmate, Emily Gramajo. Emily had additionally determined to attend a group faculty as a result of she couldn’t afford to simply accept her admission provide from her dream faculty, Cal State Northridge — however dedicated to the college this week after donors stepped up.
“Jonathan is somebody who all the time wished to do his finest to make the most of the sacrifices his mom made for him,” Villatoro mentioned. “However his story shouldn’t be alone. A whole lot of our college students at West Adams are in his state of affairs. There are such a lot of others who might use extra assist.”
Up to now, donors have raised 1000’s of {dollars} for the 2 college students. One nonprofit began by the late Episcopal Bishop Jon Bruno, Arms in Therapeutic, has awarded Jonathan a $10,000 grant. In his interview this week with the scholarship committee, he described his ardour for science and need to assist folks as a health care provider after an in depth relative died of most cancers some years in the past. When committee chair Mary Bruno introduced they might award the grant — and would think about renewing it if he stored up his tutorial progress — Jonathan’s face broke into an enormous grin.
“I’m so grateful!” he mentioned.
UC President Michael V. Drake, requested about Jonathan and needy college students like him at a state Senate committee listening to Thursday, mentioned that UC was stepping up monetary support help and will normally discover a manner to assist shut affordability gaps.
Generally, he mentioned, it was a matter of college officers not initially making the appropriate connections with college students to allow them to know the way they may afford to attend UC. He instructed committee members that UC San Diego officers had contacted Jonathan and he was capable of decide to the campus.
“Overwhelmingly, we will discover a solution,” Drake mentioned.
Jonathan mentioned he’s astonished that so many individuals he had by no means met had been prepared to assist him finance his faculty schooling. Late Tuesday, he made his choice. He went to his UC San Diego applicant portal — and accepted the admission provide.
“I felt like all of those folks had been supporting me to go after my dream,” Jonathan mentioned. “I didn’t need to allow them to down.”
