Student Spotlight: Erick Gabriel Valencia
Written by: Owen Quindipan
This summer, Erick celebrated achieving the first step of his long-held ambitions. As he walked across the high school graduation stage with an enormous grin that ran ear-to-ear, you could not mistake his expression for anything other than pride. High school graduation was of course a celebration of the past 4 years, but for Erick, it was this and more. He was proud of what he had achieved at Yerba Buena High School and excited for the next step in his adventure at San Jose State University (SJSU). He had accepted a spot at the university as a mechanical engineering major in the fall and was headed to Hawaii shortly after this celebration, a well-deserved treat after a year of challenge, excitement, and preparation for the future.
At Yerba Buena, Erick involved himself in several different programs. One year, he volunteered at his school garden. In another, he helped collect donations for a community project. In his senior year, Erick jumped at the opportunity to join a school varsity team for both semesters. Among these shifting extracurriculars, one goal persisted throughout Erick's time at Yerba Buena: getting an amazing education. Earning stellar grades throughout high school and joining his school's AVID program early on in his high school experience, Erick excelled in his schoolwork while still thoroughly exploring a multitude of his interests. It is through the AVID program that Erick would connect with the Reach Foundation and meet his mentor, Savas.
Having mentored interns at Apple in the past, Savas had observed the formative impact that his mentorship provided. On mentorship, Savas noted that "One common thing is that they (mentees) tend to remember the experience for a long time. That tells me you can make a difference by sharing your time with a younger person." And that is exactly what Savas did with the Reach Foundation after learning about the continued successes of the Foundation's fellowship program. The main reason Savas chose to become a mentor with the Foundation was that "despite many different efforts, the progress on diversity in both academia and industry has been very slow. I don't know the solution, but I thought that by helping one person, I could make a small difference."
Taking into account Savas' mission and Erick's academic strengths, the Foundation paired Savas with Erick to advise and guide Erick through the college application process. Erick remembers meeting Savas as "a very welcoming experience…(so) I decided to try to get to know him better so we can get better connected to each other." So while many meetings focused on the technical aspects of applying to college – reviewing different colleges, financial aid resources, standardized testing, and college essay writing –, some meetings were not. Sometimes, the two discussed what each did in the past week. Other times, Erick would ask what Savas' high school and college experience was like. And in one meeting, the two unwound from a busy week and talked about their shared excitement over Legos.
Their bond beyond the mentorship program made tackling the college application process easier for both Erick and Savas. As Erick recalls, "I feel good about meeting with Savas to decompress about what information we have learned so we can help each other figure out and work together as a team to help me understand what is going on, what I should be working on, and any questions I have." Outside of their meetings, Savas offered to help Erick in other ways that would set Erick up for success in college. "My mentor has gone above and beyond for me by doing anything necessary such as helping me with AP Stats in high school … anything I need to stay on the right path." Savas even offered to help Erick get discounts on a MacBook so that Erick would have a portable computer for college.
After researching colleges, seeking out different sources of financial aid, and writing the college applications, one of the final hurdles the two faced was the Reach Foundation Scholarship application and interview. For Erick, this was a particularly nerve-racking process. “He (Savas) helped me review the questions to help me understand what they mean, and if there was any trick questions that confused me. He also helped me prepare for the Reach Interview, by helping me make slides to prepare for any questions I might be asked and how to respond to them.”
One morning, Savas received a text notification like any other, but this one was from Erick: we did it! Erick passed the Reach Scholarship Interview, but he knew that he did not do it alone. Savas remembered receiving the text, thinking “It was the perfect conclusion to the whole year.”
Get involved! Join us in making a difference as a mentor with The Reach Foundation.