A Note from Ms. Kamal, Francisco's Teacher

Francisco will be a strong candidate for this program because he is a self driven student, ambitious and highly motivated. He will be able to thrive in a rigorous college course because he has been excelling academically, earning the Dean's list for his high GPA for two consecutive years. Francisco has been able to construct designs in Visual Arts, communicate and discuss his ideas professionally in English Socratic Seminars, and test theories and practice solving problems in Chemistry and Geometry. His passionate for doing well in academics, his success in his courses, and his ability to seek support from adults when needed are all evidence that he can truly be successful in a university setting. Francisco will also be taking the ACT in the spring, therefore meeting the testing requirement for the engineering program and has been enrolled in the ACT Aspire practice program with the rest of the sophomore class. He is brilliant minded, always asking insightful questions, seeking feedback for improvement, and generating conversations with adults around campus on various subject matters. Our school lacks programs such as an engineering course, a robotics club, etc and Francisco's hardship makes him unable to pay for such courses and activities offered in the private sector. He will be thoroughly challenged academically by given the opportunity to participate in Santa Clara's Summer Engineering Seminar and be more prepared for taking AP courses upon his return to school as a junior in the fall. Finally, Francisco may be only a 10th grader but he is a student in Leadership and able to take initiative on creating school events, assemblies, delegating tasks to classmates, and helping improve school culture on campus. The soft skills he has gained in Leadership, such as collaboration, persistence, and maintaining a moral character, will all allow him to naturally fit into the program's camaraderie and community.