All the Way to Yale – Fernando Rojas

Fullerton, California is known for a lot of things. The birthplace of Hawaiian Punch, Fender Guitars and a pretty top-notch college (Cal State Fullerton). But this spring, it was the success of one of its local high school students that caught the eye of reporters.

Fullerton High School’s Fernando Rojas, son of immigrants from Jalisco, Mexico, was one of eight students nationally to be accepted into all eight Ivy League schools. He also got into Stanford, his hometown alma mater and UC-Irvine. At a time when so many Americans are questioning the presence of immigrants, Rojas’ individual honor provides a temporary pushback to xenophobic naysayers as well as inspiration to other first-generation students.

While Rojas’ accolades included a 4.8 grade point average and host of national speech and debate awards, he humbly told media outlets that he never expected to have so many choices. He credited his hard working machinist father and seamstress mother for his drive. “They still took the time to instill in us these morals and these values of having to work hard and having to be resilient,” Rojas has said. He also thanked his older siblings for their guidance and paving the road ahead of him, making sure that he entered high school with few surprises. “I went into high school knowing what I was supposed to do,” he told the media.

Rojas eventually enrolled at Yale this past fall where he hopes to major in Latin American Studies en route to a career as either an international affairs officer or a lawyer.

Image credit: aldianews.com