More than 37,000 talented individuals applied to Harvard for admission in the fall of 2015; Rebecca was one of the less than 2,000 students who were admitted. Just as impressive as her acceptance to Harvard are her many accomplishments as a student at IDEA College Prep Mission. Rebecca was class president and a varsity soccer player, vice president of her Model United Nations team, and a member of the National Junior Honor Society. Born in Veracruz, Mexico, she will be the first person in her family to complete her bachelor’s degree.

Rebecca plans to study mathematics at Harvard. She then hopes to go to graduate school to study education.

“My experience at IDEA opened the door to many unique learning opportunities outside the classroom, including the Model United Nations Institute, which helped me improve my public speaking skills, develop my leadership skills, and explore new places,” she said. “One day, I hope to start a program for immigrants to help provide them with opportunities to succeed, just as IDEA did for me.”