Angelina is a first-generation, Latina scholar who has participated in the STEP program since her freshman year of high school. She hails from New York City and describes herself as a passionate person with curiosity and ambition, a fitness enthusiast, who loves exploring new places, and an aspiring lawyer. Similarly, her loved ones describe her as an intelligent, motivated person who does not take ‘no’ for an answer. When asked, Angelina credits Math as her favorite subject in school even though she hated the subject when she was younger. However, it has now become a topic of interest due to math being a universal language and how it is used to create varying abstracts. One of her biggest inspirations is her mother, who created a life and name for herself after immigrating to the United States from the Dominican Republic at the age of thirteen and with little knowledge of the English Language. Her mother’s pertinacity inspires her and determination is something that empowers Angelina and helps guide her through tough times.
Angelina joined STEP intending to gain more expertise in STEM fields and get a college-like experience with rigorous and unique coursework. She describes her time with the STEP Program as beneficial and provides her with resources and knowledge beyond the content learned at high school. She learned topics that she can apply to her life even outside of academics. Her favorite classes were Financial Literacy and College Readiness, which taught her skills that will guide her as she transitions to her college career and adulthood. She also enjoyed the workshop content and recalls the extracurricular activity panel as eye-opening as she understood the importance of being involved in college campuses.
Through the QuestBridge program, Angelica was matched with and is currently attending Dartmouth College! She received a full scholarship through the QuestBridge program and has access to other opportunities such as research and mentorship to support her through her college tenure. She was very pleased with her experience with applying to the QuestBridge program and encouraged other students to look into this opportunity.
At Dartmouth, Angelina plans to study public policy and government with a pre-law track. Her interest in law stems from her family’s negative interactions with the criminal justice system and hopes to become a lawyer to advocate for low-income and marginalized communities. She also would love to increase the representation of Latina women in the field.
She concluded the interview by stating that her academic experience and journey to college as a first-generation student has not been easy but acquiring knowledge and support through programs like STEP has equipped her and be better prepared for college. She is now looking forward to receiving a top-tier education at Dartmouth. We are extremely proud of our STEP Alum Angelina and wish her all the best!
Baruch STEP Academy 