A Fairy Tale?

No. This is not a fairy tale but a story of determination and hard work. Martín Mares, the principal at a California High School, teaches his students they should never have low expectations or assume certain things are not for them.

Universities known as “Ivy League schools” are the most exclusive and expensive of American universities. They boast outstanding academic excellence and great work opportunities for their graduates.

Often associated with wealthy individuals, many Latino students perceive them as unattainable schools. Mr. Mares created the Ivy League Leadership Project to show his student that they are unattainable only if students think they are so.

To participate in the school visits (made during Spring Break), students have to demonstrate academic excellence and fundraise for the trip. They are not offered scholarships because fundraising is part of the project: if they aspire to great things, they should be able to work hard to attain them.

At Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, and other Ivy’s, students meet with admissions officers, take campus tours, and meet with current students. The experience transforms these high school students. A dream becomes a real possibility, and this gives them the strength to continue to work harder to make it come true.