The first graduate in his family, an 18-year-old lad, will receive a $60,000 full scholarship to Princeton University in the United States.
Alejandro Pliego, 18, has been granted a full scholarship worth $60,000 to attend Princeton University in the United States to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Alejandro, a Hispanic native, fought the odds to become the first member of his family to attend a university. His mother works as a dry cleaner, while his father is a chef.
He received a $60,000 scholarship from KIPP Socal to attend Princeton University, as well as a four-year, full-ride scholarship from QuestBridge, which links first-generation and low-income students with partner universities.
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Low-income kids who want to be the first in their family to enroll in a four-year university are the focus of the nationwide charter school network known as KIPP Socal.
“I couldn’t focus on my classwork because I knew the decision was coming out,” Alejandro recalls, adding that he made history by becoming the first student from his high school, the Rock Academy, to attend Princeton University in the school’s 21-year history. Alejandro said that when the notification “view update” appeared, his classmates gathered around him, and he opened it to see 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 claimed that his dream of becoming a role model was realized when a 6-year-old student he had never met congratulated him on his acceptance into college later that day.
He claimed that he adopted the school’s then-current motto, “Work hard,” while he was a junior at KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy. Be kind. as well as “Dream big,” which he pursued.
Alejandro stated that he plans to pursue a job with the United Nations or even the World Health Organization by majoring in public policy and minoring in global health. He went on to say that he also wants to start a charity organization to support underserved communities and underprivileged nations overseas.
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.
