ACE Scholars are Helping to Shape the Future of Society: ACE Alumnus Jair

This month we celebrate 18-year-old ACE scholar Jair O. who recently graduated with honors from Regis Jesuit High School. All of us at ACE are proud of the hard work Jair put into his AP classes and extracurricular activities, and we look forward to following his success as he continues on his academic journey. Jair has applied to the University of Colorado Boulder and plans to major in accounting and personal finance.

“Being on the honor roll for four years has been a big accomplishment; it showed my determination and perseverance,” says Jair. In addition to being an honor roll student, Jair was a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, and the Regis Jesuit Investment Club, where he got his first glimpse into accounting and finance. Jair’s entrepreneurial spirit lead him to create his own online media channel–303 Central–where he interviews people in his community about local and international issues. Jair largely credits ACE for his academic success, sharing, “ACE motivated me to pursue graduation.”

For Jair, starting in a new private school was an adjustment. He was nervous about establishing himself in a new environment, as well as living up to the standards of Regis Jesuit. ACE Scholarships not only helped Jair attend the school of his choice, but it also provided him with a support system. “People who have had no connection to me whatsoever were able to help me and create opportunities that would’ve been very hard to see or hope for before,” he explains. “And now, with my education at Regis Jesuit, I have the tools to deal with difficult situations that may arise.”

Along with higher high school and college graduation rates, ACE scholars and their families are helping to shape the future of society. Parents of ACE scholars are returning back to school to obtain their degrees, ACE families eat dinner together more often, and ACE students and their parents spend more time volunteering in their communities. They represent our future, and it’s a hopeful one. Students like Jair often report that the generosity they have experienced as an ACE scholar has instilled in them a sense of gratefulness and giving. “Thank you, ACE, for helping me with my scholarship,” says Jair. “I hope to be a donor when I am older and working in what I love.”

Thank you for inspiring students like Jair to want to give back to their community and for making stories like this possible.