Feb 18, 2009 4:28 pm US/Pacific
Gabriel Cervantes: Following Mom To College
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―
Gabriel Cervantes learned how to study in middle school, using the car seat as a desk. For two years, his mother, an immigrant from Mexico, went to a local community college to get her GED. It was a family commitment. His dad piled all six kids into the minivan to take her. While mom was taking classes in child development, their father stayed in the van to make sure all the kids did their homework.
After getting enough credits in early childhood development, his mom turned their house into a family daycare business. Years before, Habitat for Humanity helped build their home, now his mother was using it to help support the family. It was a lesson for Gabriel that shaped the whole way he looked at education, and the possibilities of life in America.
"Gabe is an optimist through and through. He looks to his parents and particularly his mom as role models of what is possible," said Helen Kim, the Vice Principal at Eastside College Preparatory School.
He's gone there since sixth grade and is very much a part of a community there. Eastside is an extraordinary school that is opening college doors for many first generation kids in East Palo Alto, a neighborhood that was once considered the murder capital of the country.
Gabriel is an honors student, with a passion for law and business. As a kid, he wanted to be a corporate lawyer. Joining the debate team in his freshman year deepened his interest.
"Gabe understands the important role that education plays in the lives of young people. He also understands that for him, it is the key to many of the dreams he hopes to fulfill," said Helen Kim. "Whether it is in the field of law or business or politics, he knows that an education is critical."
Money is tight with a big family. There are his parent's medical issues, and tuition for three sisters in college to pay. So, Gabriel took up a job at the In-N-Out to help out. His grades slipped, and it bothered his mom.
"Education comes first," she reminded him. "You have B''s when you should be getting A's...How do you expect to become a lawyer with those B's?"
Gabriel quit his job for awhile, and focused on those A's. But eventually, his sense of responsibility to his family took him back to work. He works 25 hours a week to help pay for bills and he's gotten better at balancing school with the job.
Helen Kim sees the depth of his character:
"Gabe is determined and fearless. He is out to change the world and make it a better place, and he has no doubt about his individual responsibility or his ability to make a difference," said Kim.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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