“I knew about the money I’d receive as an awardee, and the mentoring, too. What I was not expecting was everything else that came with being a member of the Girls with Grit community.”
Attending: Fairfield University
Travel Stipend Use: Travel home
Uprooted at eight and brought to the United States from Colombia, Angie struggled with the language and newness of everything around her, including school. Anxiety clouded her for years until she stepped through the doors of Cristo Rey Philadelphia.
There, under the stewardship of several teachers and through the school's work-study program, Angie built up a reservoir of experiences that restored her confidence and readied her to pursue bigger goals.
One of those goals is becoming a neurologist, an interest originating from her mother's passion for science. Angie intentionally sought work-study opportunities with Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania, Mercy LIFE, and the Rothman Institute to gain exposure to a variety of disciplines and environments. She rounded out these experiences with community service hours at a veteran's hospital and as a member of a Red Cross club.
Angie joins Fairfield University's class of 2021 free of the cloud of anxiety that bedeviled her and feeling confirmed by her recognition that she's "got this."
Photo by Debbie McGeorge / Art + Life Photography