From kindergarten to college, LAUSD's "GO East LA" promise builds a college bound culture
Making good on a promise 12 years in the making, high school seniors from East Los Angeles have guaranteed admittance to East Los Angeles College and Cal State LA; it's the promise they made when they were only in kindergarten.
For Garfield High School seniors, going to college isn't a question of if, but where.
"We promised them they would have the opportunity to come to a four-year college," Dr. Lourdes Ramirez-Ortiz, LAUSD Region East Superintendent, said.
It's part of GO East LA, a long-term partnership among LAUSD schools in East LA, ELAC, and Cal State LA that guarantees Garfield graduates admission to those colleges if they meet state requirements.
Back in 2015, CBS LA was at the first ceremony, where then-kindergartners received pre-acceptance letters to Cal State LA. One of those little kids is Angelina Quintero.
"We can all do what we put our minds to," Quintero said. Neither of her immigrant parents went to college, but she was inspired by her older siblings to put her studies first.
"We didn't have internet growing up, so I saw my sister going to the library every single day, and my brother staying up after school," Quintero said.
Admission to these colleges is only the first step. What they do next is all up to them. While everyone is already accepted to Cal State LA, Quintero said she plans to apply to many other schools. She hopes to become a civil engineer and give back to her community.
Emmanuel Gonsalez says he was almost pulled into gang life growing up in East LA, but he found football. He straightened up his life, including his grades.
His mother, who never went to college, says she's proud of his ability to stay motivated despite his circumstances. Gonsalez hopes Cal State LA, or UCLA, will help launch him into the medical field.
"I also know that they have a great nursing program for Cal State LA, which I also want to pursue. Nursing or dentistry," Gonsalez said.
A full-circle moment, 12 years in the making, finally coming true.
"It really makes me feel so good to know that we made good on that promise. It wasn't just a dream. It wasn't just an aspiration. But it's now become a reality," Ramirez-Ortiz said.
