A Latina teen from Santa Ana, California, has been accepted into four Ivy League universities, including Harvard. Stephany Gutiérrez, 18, whose parents are undocumented immigrants attends Santa Ana High School, which is the oldest and largest high school in Southern California's Orange County.
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Stephany shared a video on social media of herself reading her acceptance letters surrounded by her family, and with each acceptance their excitement grows, culminating with Stephany anxiously opening her email from Boston's Harvard University, her dream school and one of the most prestigious universities in the US.
Stephany read her acceptance emails surrounded by family.
Stephany sat down at a computer surrounded by her parents and her sister and nervously opened her college admissions letters. First, she found out she got into Columbia University, then Brown, and then Dartmouth, jumping up to hug and celebrate with her beautiful family each time.
Then came Harvard.
Finally, Stephany opens the email from Harvard and she and her family burst into celebration when she sees that she's been accepted. "It was difficult, my parents are still illegal immigrants here in the United States," Stephany told Univision. "Their support in particular has been excellent, my father and mother have always told me that education is the way to get ahead."
She will study law at Harvard.
Stephany plans to study law at Harvard with the full support of her family and other influential figures in her life. "There is no silver bullet when it comes to education," said Jennifer Huynh, assistant principal at Santa Ana High School. "We believe that if students are given the opportunity to succeed they will pursue it. There is no limit to what they can achieve."
Stephany's family is an inspiration.
Stephany's story truly demonstrates that no matter the circumstances, it is possible to persevere. The love, support and dedication of her parents undoubtedly helped her achieve her goals, and we're positive that she has an incredible future ahead of her.
Santa Ana High is also doing something right.
Three students from Santa Ana High's class of 2021, were accepted into Harvard, along with many other Ivy League schools, which is an impressive feat. According to SchoolDigger.com, 98.7% of Santa Ana High's students are Hispanic and a large percentage are also living in poverty.
Another student got into Harvard and Princeton.
As distinctive as Stephany's accomplishment is, another student at Santa Ana High incredibly got into two Ivy League universities as well. Oziel Flores was accepted into both Princeton and Harvard. Talk about young Latinas representing!
