Four Miami Lakes Educational Center (MLEC) students, Alejandra Mendoza, Salwa Raza, David Pacheco, and Julissa Higgins spent the end of 2014 celebrating after learning they had been accepted early to prestigious universities across the nation.
Mendoza, a Questbridge full tuition scholarship recipient, was accepted to Columbia University. Raza, a Posse scholar, was accepted at Mount Holyoke. Pacheco was accepted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Higgins was accepted at Harvard University. The students, whose early admission was not binding, are still looking into applying at other renown schools such as Duke, Stanford, Yale and Princeton.
The students have a long history of academic success within the Cambridge Academy, dual enrollment program, Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) courses and Advanced Placement (AP) courses, each of which improve the students weighted and unweighted grade point average, one of the many factors colleges and universities consider in applications.
Acceptance into prestigious universities is a concept considered out of reach by many low-income families and minorities, a thought that Higgins feels is unfounded.
“Though I always dreamed of going to Harvard, even at a young age, I didn't know how accessible it was until my sister was accepted in 2011. And I think that is a misconception that many students – especially minorities and low-income students – have. While it may be difficult to get into, it is certainly doable,” said Higgins.
The prospective majors for these students range from biochemistry to economics and political science. The students, some with 30 hours of college credits already under their belts, continue to pursue higher education with the same zealous effort displayed in their formational years and were nurtured by the patience and talents of school faculty.
“At MLEC, we have great teachers. So maybe, more than any subject or lesson, they’ve prepared me for college in ways I didn’t think I would need. They’ve placed me in positions of leadership, but they’ve also fostered my independence. I’ve grown as a student, but most importantly, I’ve grown as a person,” said Mendoza.
MLEC faculty and staff congratulated the students on their academic achievements and future endeavors.