{"id":15781,"date":"2020-02-07T20:00:45","date_gmt":"2020-02-08T01:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/?p=15781"},"modified":"2020-02-08T14:08:12","modified_gmt":"2020-02-08T19:08:12","slug":"he-didnt-speak-english-until-eight-years-old-now-hes-the-winner-of-a-quarter-million-dollar-scholarship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/?p=15781","title":{"rendered":"He Didn\u2019t Speak English Until Eight Years-Old \u2014 Now He’s the Winner of a Quarter-Million Dollar Scholarship"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When Wilmer Carranza joined the second grade of Mount Vernon Community School after arriving in the United States from El Salvador, he cried every single day for two months straight.<\/p>\n

Unable to understand a word of what was going on, despite the kindness around him, he was a scared little boy.<\/p>\n

Slowly, with the support of friends and teachers, life began to change.<\/p>\n

His faltering English improved and he began to excel in his favorite subject, math, just as he did at school in Central America.<\/p>\n

That young child is now about to turn 18 years-old and with a 4.0 GPA in sight, is heading to Lafayette College in the fall, the recipient of a prestigious Posse Scholarship reserved for young leaders. It is worth $250,000.<\/p>\n

Now, he says, it is time for his mother, Reina, who has worked around the clock as a hotel maid for decades, to take it easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom is definitely where I get my brains from, and she has made all these incredible sacrifices for me over the years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe made the decision to raise me in Alexandria as a single parent. She worked double shifts day and night to support us financially.”<\/p>\n

\u201cHow could I ever truly pay her back for everything she has done for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cWhen I told her about the scholarship, I said, \u2018mom, it\u2019s a quarter of a million dollars, you won\u2019t have to pay for a single thing. I\u2019ve got this.”<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, she was freaking out. And it took her a while to really grasp what the scholarship meant for us.”<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to see her take it easy, stay home, watch TV … enjoy life a bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Wilmer was born in Alexandria but left when he was four or five when his mother decided to return to El Salvador.<\/p>\n

There, he lived an idyllic existence on the family farm and was reunited with his older siblings: two brothers and a sister. He learned to ride horses and helped his father pick crops or fetch water.<\/p>\n

But several years later, his mother decided to return to Alexandria. She went ahead without him, saying she was going out to do the laundry one day so as not to upset her young son.<\/p>\n

A couple of months later, she sent for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember going from this huge sprawling farmhouse with space and land and animals to a small basement apartment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI looked for the stairs and was not able to find them and then I realized how small my new home was. It was an adjustment. The culture shock was real.”<\/p>\n

\u201cI clearly recall starting at Mount Vernon Community School \u2014 and I expect that they will remember me \u2014 because I cried every single day for weeks. All I did was cry.”<\/p>\n

\u201cMy teacher would ask me a question, and I did not understand at all, so I would just cry.”<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I made friends who helped me and I had caring teachers. Within months I was loving that school.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his years at George Washington Middle School, he became part of the AVID college readiness system.<\/p>\n

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) identifies students who have the potential to head to college but whose background may mean they need a little extra support in navigating their way there.<\/p>\n

As a first generation college-goer, the knowledge and support the AVID system provided was critical.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started getting the taste of college and what I needed to do to be ready for it. AVID really helped me a lot,” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it wasn’t for that and the Career and College Center at T.C., I wouldn’t have even known about Posse.”<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like if I didn’t have these resources or these connections, I don’t know what I would be doing right now, to be honest. Probably asking too many questions or probably just have given up.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re the one that kept me on my feet and told them what to do. Exactly what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was encouraged to apply for the Posse scholarship by Stacy Morris, T.C.\u2019s College and Career Center school counselor.<\/p>\n

He went through a rigorous process of interviews before learning that he had been successful along with one other T.C. student, Madeleine Allen. Now he plans to study computer science at Lafayette in Eastern Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

\u201cI was at Safeway when I got a call from Posse asking me how I think I did in the application process. I told them that I thought I did okay. They said, \u2018You did way better than okay.\u2019”<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they told me I had been successful. I was shocked.”<\/p>\n

As the first of his family to go to college, he says he wants to start a legacy and see his nieces and nephews, and perhaps one day his own children, follow in his academic footsteps.<\/p>\n

For Peter Balas, T.C. principal, who has watched Wilmer grow and thrive, his success comes as little surprise.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cI am so excited for and proud of Wilmer for earning this scholarship. He is a model student who represents who we are at T.C. in many ways. I believe he will take full advantage of this life changing opportunity and I look forward to seeing all that he accomplishes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life is certainly busy for Wilmer these days.<\/p>\n

Along with his weekly meetings with his fellow Posse scholars in preparation for college, he is also the T.C. Williams student representative to the Alexandria City School Board.<\/p>\n

\"school<\/p>\n

He applied for the position last year so he could advocate for his fellow students and play a part in shaping the T.C. of the future.<\/p>\n

As he counts down the days to graduation and the beginning of college, he reflects on his schooling in Alexandria and all those people who have helped him along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to be very, very shy,” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut over the years I\u2019ve become much more confident. My education has helped me develop and become the person I am now. I will always be grateful to Alexandria City Public Schools for that.\u201d<\/p>\n