ACE Scholars Shaping our Collective Future: Alumnus Miguel

Miguel’s family celebrates his high school graduation

For recent ACE high school graduate Miguel, getting good grades has always been a priority. He took advanced studies classes from the time he was in 2nd grade, with a goal of growing up to have a successful career and be a respected member of his community.

So, when his grades started slipping in 8th grade, his mom knew something was wrong. Without the right support, he was losing motivation. She and his father had sacrificed so much for their children, and they were not going to let their son’s future slip away. With high school around the corner, they knew what they needed to do.

A nearby private high school offered the perfect blend of academic rigor and supportive atmosphere, but they could not afford the tuition on their own. They needed and received the help of ACE Scholarships.

As soon as he set foot in his ACE partner school, Miguel began to thrive again. The teachers saw Miguel’s potential, challenged him academically, and provided him the opportunity to pursue his passions. Miguel immersed himself in learning about engineering—technology, soldering, welding, CPU boards, anything he could get his hands on. He leaned into his strengths and helped many of his peers realize their full potential too. Miguel emerged as a leader, helping tutor classmates in math.

Your support has empowered Miguel to graduate high school with honors, and he knows full well he would not have achieved this on his own. Reflecting on the life-changing support system ACE Scholarships gave him access to, Miguel expresses gratitude: “I’ve always had people there for me to help me get through the bad times, and the good times, and to help me get to where I need to be in life. ”

Now, his plan is to pay it forward. He’s already setting a good example for his younger siblings by showing them what their future can hold. This fall, he will head to Baton Rouge to join his older sister at Louisiana State University, where he plans to study engineering. After college, he’s setting his sights on changing history: “I want to work for NASA, work on rockets, and be one of the people to land on Mars,” explains Miguel. “To be able to say I did that, that would be awesome. Literally life-altering for humankind.”

And when Miguel steps onto the surface of Mars, you’ll know you helped him get there.

Thank you for inspiring our ACE scholars and for making stories like Miguel’s possible.