< Christopher Chapa, IDEA Donna Alumni & Cornell University Graduate

Christopher was born in McAllen and spent his formative years just across the border in Reynosa before his family moved to the U.S. One of Chris's friends had recently been introduced to a new public charter school called IDEA. After hearing what the school had to offer, the boy's parents encouraged Chris and his family to apply. After applying, Christopher found himself on a path to college, an option he didn't know he had. Unbeknownst to him, his college counselor and a representative from Cornell University met with his parents and informed them that they were willing to waive all application costs and extend testing deadlines for him if Chris fully committed to attending Cornell University in the fall. Chris agreed and effectively became the first IDEA student ever accepted to an Ivy League School. Chris has since graduated with his master's and kicked off his professional career in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he worked as a Senior Mechanical Test Engineer for Medtronic. Though he enjoyed his life in Minneapolis, Chris and his wife (fellow IDEA alum Erica) have moved to the Rio Grande Valley to raise their family. Currently, Chris is working at the IDEA Headquarters in Weslaco as a Quality Assurance Manager on IDEA's Operations Team.