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Her mentors call her a powerhouse, a shy teenager with great ambition and the tenacity to overcome her humble beginnings to make her mark in the world.
So when the soon-to-be, first-generation college student Evelyn Silva Rosales got accepted to all 10 universities and colleges she applied to, they were not surprised. Pittsburg counselor Danni Le said students, even ones with high GPAs — Silva Rosales’ GPA was 4.68 — usually get denied by a few colleges.
“This doesn’t happen very often,” she said of Silva Rosales’ accomplishment of getting accepted to six state universities and four state colleges. “This is a big deal for her family.”
Silva Rosales, like her classmates, will miss out on the normal in-person high school graduation ceremony and festivities, though, and now she might also have to put off moving to the campus of her dreams — UCLA — because of the coronavirus pandemic. The teen, who plans to study biochemistry and eventually go to medical school to become a cardiologist, is waiting to see how the virus plays out and whether she will be able to move into her dormitory, which will have limited openings, or will instead take classes remotely.
While some universities are considering primarily going online because of likely social distancing requirements, UCLA officials have said they are still considering their options and that some in-person classes are possible. Silva Rosales is taking a positive approach.
“If I do have to wait, I will be able to appreciate the moment more,” she said.
Pittsburg High School English teacher Kathryn Agudo, her mentor, said she’s confident Silva Rosales “will be fine even if that means it’s a semester that stays virtual,” adding that the teen’s positive attitude and hard work ethic are what makes her successful.
“If you look at every contextual situation — she’s first-generation, a daughter of immigrants, English is her second language. You look at every layer there, and it’s phenomenal.”
Agudo, who taught Silva Rosales English in her freshman and sophomore years, said, “She is willing to sacrifice whatever time it takes and wants to be sure that she submitted the best possible work and she is proud of her work.”
For Silva Rosales, who spoke little English until kindergarten, it was natural to do whatever it took to achieve and to get into the college of her choice. After all, her parents had left their home and their families to come to the United States to give their future children a better life, she said.
“Neither one knew the language, but they helped me in other ways — emotional ways and financial support,” said Silva Rosales. “Dad works, and he always finds a way to give me the money I need for school and for sports shoes — he’s always my support.”
Her father, a cook at a Japanese restaurant, also paid for her tutoring at a Kumon Math and Reading Center in Clayton, where the teen herself now works as a tutor between juggling five Advanced Placement classes, other electives and sports activities.
“It was important. I wanted her to learn English, advance in school and have a better future,” Jeronimo Silva said in Spanish.
Maria Rosales, the teen’s stay-at-home mom, meanwhile takes care of her and her two younger sisters’ other needs — from meals to shuttling them to school, track and cross-country practices and other activities.
“She is really proud of her heritage,” Agudo said. “She is really proud to be a daughter of immigrants and how much they supported her education …. They both are very involved in her education — every step of the way they have supported her. They will do everything they can to make sure she goes to college.”
The San Pablo native also got help from the school’s Puente program, which translates to “bridge” in English. The program acts as a bridge for students who have the drive but not the resources to succeed, Agudo said. The program helps them navigate the rigors of academic life as well as the challenges of applying to colleges and universities, she noted.
“Throughout high school, I did not feel alone — Mrs. Agudo, she was always there to guide me,” Silva Rosales said, noting that she was able to visit college campuses under the program as well.
The teen, who has a friendly competition with two others over who has the best GPA, regularly checks in with her mentor or counselor to see her grades. With a 4.68 GPA, she’s No. 3 in her class of 801 students, but the others are only .001 points away from each other, Agudo said.
“She is definitely competitive but not in an overbearing way,” her teacher said.
Her competitive nature also came out in sports and her coach, Kevin Thompson, said she used it to improve her running in cross-country track. This fall she served as team captain for cross country.
“She’s everything you want in an athlete,” Thompson said. “She takes direction well — we had a very good rapport. She was very helpful (as captain) …. She would listen, she was comfortable where she could ask questions, get her answers and take care of business.”
Her counselor called her a hard worker who never complains but always puts her best foot forward.
“She has the survival skills to make it, and she will not let anything stop her,” Le said. “… For whatever she puts her mind to, I know she will achieve it. She’ll go the extra mile in everything she does.”
That even meant arising at 5:30 a.m. every day — after regularly studying until 1:30 a.m. — so she could make it to the first of her seven classes, “Student Leadership,” at 6:50 a.m.
“I have been dreaming of going to UCLA for a really long time, but if we all go, the number of (COVID-19) cases could increase,” she said. “I probably won’t get that first-year experience like I thought I would, but if it’s for the better of the community — if we can help (by staying away) — then I understand.”