Defying Odds on the Path to College

The first graduating class of i.am College Track Boyle Heights is heading to college, creating a better future for themselves, their families, and their community.

Nikolas Rolon, a senior at Roosevelt High School, had not known anyone who had gone to college, other than his teachers. His friends and neighbors in Boyle Heights, a predominantly Latino community near downtown Los Angeles, rarely discussed higher education. But from an early age, Rolon was determined to earn his college degree.

“It was all me,” Rolon said. “My dad went straight to work after high school, my mom dropped out of high school, my older brother and sister both dropped out. I’ve watched them all struggle so much in life, and at some point I realized I didn’t want that, that it could be different for me and that college was a way to do that.”

On March 15th, Rolon set his alarm for 3:30 in the morning, the time when the University of California, Santa Cruz, released its admission decisions for the Class of 2020. Rolon held his breath as he opened his acceptance letter on his computer screen, his three younger siblings with whom he shares a bedroom all asleep around him. At long last, he let out a deep breath that he seemed to have been holding in for all of high school. In that moment, Rolon recalled, “I finally got to reap the rewards of three and half years of hard work. I finally let myself relax.” He plans to attend in the fall.

Rolon is a student at College Track, a college completion program in underserved communities that supports students from the summer before ninth grade through college graduation. The organization has eight locations across the country, serving more than 2,400 students. Ninety-four percent of its students are accepted to four-year colleges. The Boyle Heights location, i.am College Track Boyle Heights, is in its fourth year, and in May its first class — Rolon and 44 others — will earn their high school diplomas on their way to colleges around the country.

Boyle Heights is not an easy place to grow up. Located just east of downtown Los Angeles, the community lags behind the larger Los Angeles area in many regards. In comparison to citywide averages, Boyle Heights has a 39% lower high school graduation rate, 36% higher crime rate, and 24% lower median household income. Only 5% of Boyle Heights residents have a college degree and the dropout rate at Roosevelt High School, where most of i.am College Track Boyle Heights’ student attend school, is approximately 25%.

“Just a few miles from here in places like Beverly Hills, teenagers are enjoying their lives, enjoying high school,” one student said. “A teenager here is surviving.”

College Track has made a difference in Boyle Heights. For students in the program, College Track has become part of their daily lives and a consistent source of support. Most start their after-school session with a class — ACT prep, Chinese Language, or even film production. Others focus on specific subjects with tutors, or meet with their academic coaches. An attentive, caring staff provides students with the encouragement and resources they need to both nourish and achieve their dream of earning a college degree and also continuing their achievements into their post-college lives.

Oftentimes, College Track students are faced with challenging family situations. Susana Celis, a Roosevelt senior in the program, watched her brother, sisters, stepfather and mother beaten by police officers during an attempt to arrest her brother, a member of a gang. Celis wasn’t hurt, but recalls the haunting image of a police helicopter hovering over her family in front of the housing project.

Years later, when Celis started at Roosevelt, she often felt naturally inclined toward failure, a common sentiment amoung her peers. She describes her situation as if it were a trap. Common life trajectories in her community felt discouraging, and she remembers being told ‘You’re never going to make it.”

“I could not see my future,” she wrote in her college application.

College Track recruited Celis for its first Boyle Heights class. But after she posted a 1.5 grade point average during her first semester of freshman year, the College Track staff knew they had to take drastic measures.

Cendy Vides, the Family Engagement Coordinator, quickly mobilized a support network. “I did an intervention,” says Vides. “I talked to everyone in her life that could help, her basketball coach, her parents, her counselor, to make sure she was getting the support she needed to pull up those grades.”

By the end of freshman year Celis had nearly all A’s and was taking full advantage of College Track’s many resources.

“If someone believes in me,” Celis says, “if someone gives me the opportunity to be successful, then I will take that opportunity and be successful, and my life will change forever.”

When Celis visited colleges with College Track at the end of junior year, she recalls feeling intimidated. “Everyone was white and looked like they had everything together,” she says, “but I knew that I deserved to be there too, that I earned a place there.”

Today Celis has an un-weighted GPA of 3.8 and was accepted into University of California, Berkeley with a full scholarship.

“College Track was always there giving me advice — go talk to your teachers, read at home, join clubs, get involved, join sports, meet people, give tours,” Celis said. “They were always giving advice and telling me to reach higher and I took that advice and that is how I have become the person I am today.”

Students like Celis and the rest of the first graduating class at i.am College Track Boyle Heights are proof that the difference between a high school dropout and a college graduate can be as simple as an environment that tells students they are good enough.

For Rolon, the Roosevelt senior on his way to UC Santa Cruz, the road to college has been a difficult one. A decade ago, his mother, raising six children on her own and without a consistent job, became addicted to crystal meth and was arrested for possession and distribution of illegal substances.

After a short prison sentence and receiving drug rehabilitation services, Nikolas’ mother came home and has stayed sober. Despite these obstacles, Nikolas is persevering through to UC Santa Cruz and setting an example for his younger siblings. UCSC is among the 17 college partnerships that College Track has established with universities across the country to ensure that students graduate within four years. Because of partnerships like these, Nikolas is receiving one-on-one coaching, financial aid and guidance to other student resources that can keep him on track. Through a belief in himself and the breadth of support he receives through College Track, Nikolas is creating a better future for himself, his family, and his community.

What’s Next?

• Meet more College Track students
• Learn more about College Track and join the mailing list
• Watch a video to see how College Track has helped students succeed