Bay Area Scholars With Eyes On Prize Tackle College Applications

by Sherry Hu and Briana Keys

This new year is filled with anticipation. In the fall, these Class of 2018 Students Rising Above scholars will begin a new chapter: college.

Jocelyn Gama has a vision. With a smile on her face she says," I tell people it's my flourishing season for me because I feel like I'm starting to really start living life, it would just change my life."

But first, some hard work.  With their advisors by their side, these SRA students need to fill out college applications and find the campus that best fits.

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Jerry Gonzalez has it narrowed down, "I'm more leaning to a private because I like community based, I like everyone being involved, I like small class size where everyone's participating."

Stephen Carroll would like, "just an open environment, where I'm able to explore more academic things, more about myself in new and exciting ways."

The application process itself has proved to be exciting - and also emotional for these first generation college-bound teens.

The process made Khephra Shaw- Meredith cry, in a good way," I went to the UC application website and I just started crying, and I wasn't crying because I was overwhelmed, I wasn't crying because I was sad, I was just crying because I really couldn't believe I'm finally at this place where I'm applying."

Like most high school seniors applying to college, these applications are a peek into the future.  And because of the challenges in their lives, the stakes are sky high.

For Joseph Martin, " being that first generation college student to go to a 4-year, I can start, I can ignite that flame for my other siblings to follow behind me, so just being a pioneer to start things off, that's the biggest part of college for me."

Also having family in mind Jussell Hernandez says, "I want to make my mom proud but not only that, growing up my family had struggles and I want to grow up not to have struggles."