Among the high school students who were granted admission to prestigious schools such as UCLA is Victor Cruz, a senior from John Marshall High School, a local high school in the Los Angeles area.
His acceptance into leading colleges, including the University of Chicago, the University of Notre Dame, UCLA, UC Berkeley and USC, reminded Cruz of his hard work and dedication as a student.
The application submission process, for one, reflected this dedication and proved much more nerve-racking than he had hoped. The recent state budget cuts, coupled by the economic downturn, left Cruz and his fellow classmates uncertain about college admission rates and expectations.
Illiana Ponce, Cruz’s friend and classmate, also felt this apprehension.
“Since the budget was down, I knew my chances were less and was very nervous, and so were my parents,” she said.
The midnight calls to friends about acceptance or rejection letters made the four-month waiting period between application submissions and response letters seem even longer.
Cruz’s past achievements ““ his four-year involvement in the cross country and track teams at Marshall, his leadership position as president of MEChA, a student group that endeavors to preserve Latino heritage in youth, and his maintenance of a high GPA throughout his entire high school career ““ seemed to Cruz minor feats when compared to the backdrop of a rigorous selection process.
Nonetheless, he was granted admission.
“My friends called to ask if I had gotten in, because they were denied, and I checked to see that I had gotten accepted,” he said. “I was very, very happy, but sad for my friends.”
Congratulatory letters reminded Cruz once more of his drive to succeed, which had been imbued in him ever since he was a young child, he said.
Recalling the hard work his father did unloading boxes at Ralphs during his night shifts made Cruz realize that investing in an education and working hard would grant him access to opportunities his parents never had.
“I knew growing up that if I worked so hard in school, I wouldn’t have to work so hard (as my parents) and earn so little,” he said.
It is this childhood resolve to be the first student in his family to go to college that made college admission all the more significant for Cruz.
Cruz said his Latino heritage also instilled in him a drive to work hard and represent his culture the best way he could.
“My parents reminded me about how many blessings and hardships my culture had, and I always grew up with a sentiment that I had to do well and bring the image of my people up,” he said.
What is left for Cruz now is to make a decision about which college to attend, he said.
For both Cruz and his parents, the amount of financial aid he will be granted are huge determining factors in his final selection.
“He has two other siblings,” Victor Cruz Sr. said of his son, and he stressed the importance of keeping within a budget during the economic downturn.
The slowing down of the economy affected his construction job, and it became all the more important for the family to stay in budget. They are holding off on making a selection decision because they are still waiting for financial aid package offers from various universities, Cruz Sr. said.
Colleges, on their part, are making even greater efforts to assist students financially. University officials have announced that several programs will be set in place starting next year to help families pay college fees. One of these programs is the UC Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, which will pay student fees with scholarships and grants if a student’s family income is less than $60,000 per year.
For Cruz and his family, however, other deciding factors come into play as well.
The atmosphere of the college campus and the intuitive, gut feeling that Cruz gets about the right school is what will ultimately help him decide on a college.
From UCLA, for instance, he said he sensed a very dynamic, active student body. And while on a visit to the University of Notre Dame, he felt drawn to “the community-oriented student population, and the genuine affection everyone had for one another.”
Within a few months, Cruz will say goodbye to his high school class. Like many prospective freshmen, he will enter a new chapter in his academic career, one that is much longer and difficult, he said, but no doubt rewarding.