Meet Erick, A Scholarship Recipient & The Valedictorian Of His Class!

Erick is a fighter. 

“From the get-go, my parents—being immigrants—instilled in me the value of hard work,” Erick shared. “I’ve worked hard, and now I’m set to graduate valedictorian of my high school.” 

Apart from a couple years in Guatemala, City Heights is the only home Erick has ever known. He was born here, and he loves here. 

Erick has dreamed of going to college for a long time, and his top choices are MIT, Stanford, and Cal Tech, but MIT is his ultimate dream. 

“I want to study computer science. I’ve been my family’s tech support since I was eight years old. I fix old phones, built my own computer, help family with internet searches, etc. I love it. My other big area of interest is astronomy or astrophysics, so I might minor in one of those. As a kid in Guatemala, I remember looking up at so many stars. There wasn’t much light pollution there, it was beautiful. All those little things along the way really fueled my fire to learn.” 

It’s clear Erick has worked hard and has a bright future ahead of him, but hearing him talk about his love for home, for City Heights, makes our hearts happy. 

He’s excited to move out into the wide world, but with the City Heights community at his back. He’s a reminder of what people can achieve through determination and hard work. 

“Everyone, no matter who they are, has a fighting chance,” Erick said. “For most of my life I’ve slept on a blowup mattress or couch, but if you stay motivated and keep your eye on the prize and work hard, that’s what’s most important. Don’t give up.”

###

To donate to our City Heights Legacy Scholarship is to invest in someone’s future! Continue helping hard working young people achieve their goals in life by donating below.