18-year-old, Alejandro Pliego has been awarded a scholarship worth 60,000 dollars full scholarship to study for his bachelors degree at Princeton University in the United States.
Alejandro, a Hispanic native whose father is a chef and whose mother works for a dry cleaner defied the odds to become the first ever person to attend a university in his family.
He was awarded a four-year, full-ride scholarship from QuestBridge, which connects low-income and first-generation students with partner colleges a $60,000 scholarship from KIPP Socal to study at Princeton University.
KIPP Socal is a national charter school network that focuses on low-income students striving to be the first in their families to attend a four-year university.
Join any of these WhatsApp Groups to receive more good news on WhatsApp
Alejandro also made history as the first student from his high school, the Rock Academy to attend Princeton University in the institution’s 21-year history. He said he learned of his acceptance when he refreshed his laptop during his English class.
“I couldn’t focus on my classwork because I knew the decision was coming out,” he recalls. Alejandro said when the notification “view update” popped up, his classmates gathered around and he opened it and he saw that he had been accepted.
“Everyone was shocked, and my principal poured out an entire rainstorm of tears. It felt like I was leaving a legacy worth remembering,” he said.
Alejandro said he was most touched when a 6-year-old student he had never met congratulated him on getting into college later that day which made his dream of becoming a role model come true.
He stated that when he attended junior high at KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy, he embraced the school’s slogan at the time: “Work hard. Be nice.” and “Dream big.” and he worked towards it.
Alejandro noted that he will be majoring in Public policy and minor in Global health into a career with the United Nations or possibly the World Health Organization. He added that he also wants to create his nonprofit to help marginalized countries abroad and communities in need.
He graduated from high school as the valedictorian with an outstanding 4.32 cumulative grade point average which is way above the required grade point for Princeton. While a student, he also participated and served in different extracurricular activities.
Alejandro was an ASB student leader, a student ambassador for Rock Academy’s Admissions Department, and a captain of his track and field team. He stated that his greatest challenge was being a first-generation low-income Hispanic student.
He said this feeling made him push himself harder to compete against applicants with more connections, resources, and family support.
Advising other first-generation students, Alejandro urged them to dream big emphasizing that nothing is impossible and assuring them that opportunities are always available.
Receive Scholarship Updates through our Social Media Channels:
- WhatsApp: Scholarship Region WhatsApp
- Facebook: Scholars Region
- Twitter: @scholarsregion
- Telegram: Scholarship Region