GB Magazine January 2021 | Page 62

Community

Give the Gift of Education

F or 24 years , Barrio Logan College Institute ( BLCI ) has worked with first-generation students in San Diego ’ s lowest performing schools to give them the knowledge and tools needed to enroll in , and graduate from , college . Youth enrolled at BLCI reflect the perseverance and progress of our City ’ s most underserved populations . They exemplify the power of determination and the potential to be found in our public schools . Nationwide , only 59 % of first-generation students enroll in college . Students enrolled at BLCI have a 100 % high school graduation rate , and 100 % college enrollment rate .

Milenia Quintero
BLCI youth are committed to improving conditions for themselves , their families , and their communities . They choose to focus on possibilities , not limitations . While they are aware of the challenges they face in pursuit of their dreams , they do not allow these challenges to define them . They recognize the intrinsic value in every human being ; that each one of us is full of endless potential to transform the world in our own unique way . They are not afraid to cast an ambitious vision and work hard to achieve it .
Milenia Quintero , BLCI Class of 2018 , embodied these values and was accepted as an undergraduate student at the University of Southern California . Today , Milenia is involved in the Kappa
62 GBSAN . COM | JANUARY 2021