Eduardo's Story

Hello! My name is Eduardo. I wasn't born in America. I was born in Honduras. For the first five years of my life, I lived there with my grandparents. When they decided I was old enough, we began the trek to America. Most of the 1,500-mile journey was on foot. I am an immigrant or legal non-citizen. There is a lot of prejudice associated with the title, but I've been able to overcome the social barriers by making friends with open-minded people and going to open-minded schools, I went to Hume-Fogg Academic High School and attended the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt. Throughout my time at both, the impending challenge of college loomed. I was worried that I wouldn't get into a college or be able to afford one, even if I did. I was an immigrant so what did that mean? Were my chances of getting in lower? Would financial aid be affected? I had no answers to the questions I had. I was put in contact with a counselor at Oasis Center, Lee Gray. I was skeptical as to how he could help me, but I gave it a try. He made me much more confident about my application, and even when I failed in the early decision process he gave me words of encouragement that helped me keep trudging. Eight months later, I was accepted into Dartmouth College with a full ride. It's crazy to think I'm now in my junior year and applying to med schools. I can't express how much my college counselor helped me, and I don't think I could ever pay him back. My time at Oasis Center -- and with Lee -- has changed my life.