At Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park, three seniors are about to do something no one in their families has done before — head to college.
The three first-generation Americans said they were thrilled when they received their acceptance letters.
Angie Tejeda admitted she didn’t think she was going to be accepted to the University of Pennsylvania and was on the phone when she got the news.
“I didn’t want to go through the rejection alone,” Tejeda said. “I opened it, I saw the confetti, and I started screaming. And then I ran out to my mom, and we just started jumping.”
Tejeda has already set her goals for her time at the Ivy League school.
“I hope to major in business analytics and minor in real estate,” Tejeda said. “I hope to use both of those majors to … improve the equity in education.”
Emily Gregorio, who is headed to the College of the Holy Cross this fall, has had a full plate during her time in high school. Along with balancing her studies, she served as the National Honor Society president, played on the soccer and volleyball teams, had a part-time job at IHOP, and interned at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
“At the hospital, I worked at the Lombardi Cancer Center, which is where I got familiar with MRIs and CT scans,” Gregorio said. “I want to be a doctor.”
Genesis Barrera, who plans on studying international business with a concentration in Italian at Georgetown University, said she hopes to attend law school afterward.
During her time in high school, Barrera said she was proud of “starting the Future Business Leaders of America chapter at DBCR.”
Barrera juggled a lot and credits time management for getting it all done.
“And being determined to get what you want,” Barrera added.
While the three students took pictures together in the lobby, school President Mark Shriver walked up and beamed with pride as he talked to them.
“They’re fantastic, three wonderful young ladies,” Shriver said. “They’ve got incredibly bright futures ahead of them.”
Painted on the yellow wall in the lobby at DBCR is their motto: “The school that works.”
It’s more than a motto; Shriver pointed out students only attend school four days a week, and one of those days “they work at a white-collar job in the DMV.”
To attend DBCR, students must be below the poverty level. Students are only responsible for $1,500 of the yearly tuition; the rest they earn by working one day a week, and those companies pay the remainder.
“They’re making connections, learning skills and building confidence. It pays for their tuition, but it also prepares them for college in a way that’s hard to match,” Shriver said.