Walking an hour in Alex Mendez Reyes’ shoes Even after a long day at school, and sometimes dreading the commute, Alex Mendez Reyes was ultimately glad to walk two hours, round-trip, to La Casita Outreach Center in rural Delaware.
He repeated this routine several times a week last year, ultimately clocking hundreds of volunteer hours tutoring young Spanish speakers in English. It wasn’t always easy, but neither was it a chore. It wasn’t an assignment, or a resume adornment (although, to be sure, his resume is formidable).
Alex made the walk because he knows what it’s like to be a kid learning English who relies on a community center and its warm, bright tutors. He was that child: the US-born son of parents who emigrated in 2001 from Guatemala and weren’t fluent in English.
La Casita is where he spent five years developing a command of the language.
Growing up, Alex got accustomed to the phrase, “No sé mijo, trata el diccionario” when he asked his parents for help with English words. But eventually they retired “el famoso diccionario” and looked, instead, for programs that would help their son gain the mastery of English he deserved to achieve.
As he grew older, Alex went looking for more opportunities to enrich himself and prepare for success after high school. That’s when he found TeenSHARP and he’s been part of our Delaware Goes to College Academy initiative for two years, which he calls a “transformational journey.”
“Alex is one of the most thoughtful students I’ve worked with,” said Kim Lopez, our senior director of Delaware pre-college programs.
As part of TeenSHARP, Alex learned about the opportunity to fly-in—all expenses paid— to explore various colleges. He worked on his application to Pitzer College’s Fall Diversity visitation program and was selected to fly to California to experience the campus. He was sold. He decided to apply Early Decision to Pitzer College as his top-choice school.
“Most of my family couldn’t finish secondary education,” Alex once told a WRDE reporter. “With TeenSHARP I learned a lot about the application process and how to find the best scholarships.”
In December of 2019, Alex’s journey took a remarkable turn when he found out he’d been accepted to Pitzer with a financial aid package that covers the vast majority of $80,000 per year in tuition. At Pitzer, Alex will double major in chemistry and Chicano studies with a minor in French, on a pre-pharmacy track.
Click here to see the emotional moment Alex heard back from Pitzer!
Over the summer, Sussex Academy recognized Alex for his remarkable demonstrations of perseverance, initiative, and leadership, awarding him not one but two prestigious and competitive scholarships. These awards were well-deserved for a student who served as president of the Math League, vice president of the Technology Student Association, sang in chorus, ran cross country, and even maintained a part-time job at a pizza shop while helping take care of his siblings.
“Community service has opened my eyes to a completely new perspective and allowed me to clearly recognize our social responsibility to ensure that one’s country of origin or color are not determining factors in one’s future trajectory,” he said. “Our demographics should not impact our ability to attend college or even simply complete ‘la tarea.’ Very soon, I will embark on a new journey in college, and I’m confident that what I have gained from my experiences, combined with new resources, will allow me to make a bigger mark on our community.”
Alex exemplifies the spirit of TeenSHARP to a T. We will continue to support him while he is in college, and we are excited about the outstanding contributions he’ll continue to make in his community and the world at-large.
