Driven by a desire to leave behind an unstable family life and be independent, Sabrina Canela decided early on that education would lead her to her goals.
So the summer prior to senior year at Mountain View High School, the Mesa 17-year-old researched scholarships, colleges around the country and what it would take to get in and get school paid for.
Her success is clear: Sabrina was offered $1.3 million in tuition assistance - none of which has to be paid back - from scholarships from the 11 colleges she was accepted into and private scholarships and federal grants.
Now, she's ready to fulfill her dreams.
"I knew if I did well in school I could get money for college and I knew that if I didn't get scholarships, I wouldn't be able to go," she said this week, preparing to visit her mom out of state. "I didn't want to be in the cycle of poverty my family has been trying to get out of. Whether we were poor or (it was) an idea constructed in my mind, I knew I didn't want to be part of that. I worked hard in school to not only get into college, but get college paid for. That's what drove me."
Sabrina currently lives with her dad, stepmom, sister and two half siblings. Her father immigrated to the United States from Mexico about 20 years ago and speaks some English. Sabrina's parents met in California, where her mom lived at the time, and moved to Arizona where Sabrina was born.
By the time Sabrina was 2, she was bilingual. Her parents are now divorced. Her dad works as a grounds keeper for a company in Tempe, which also offered Sabrina a scholarship for college.
In August, Sabrina will leave for Claremont McKenna College in southern California, making her the first in the family to attend college. She plans to enter a five-year program where she'll complete bachelor's degrees in environmental science and education and a master's degree in policy planning.
Sabrina's senior year of school included seven classes, four of which were Advanced Placement. She received As in all of them except AP physics, in which she got a B. Her final grade point average was 4.3.
She also found time in high school to earn a varsity letter in debate four years in a row and to volunteer for a number of groups, from tutoring students in English and Spanish to coordinating carnivals at an elementary school and organizing the Red Cross Christmas Angels program at school.
Lisa Creaser, Sabrina's Advanced Placement English teacher her junior year at Mountain View, described the ambitious teen as "driven." Creaser's course prepares students to take the AP exam, which can qualify for college credit.
"One thing that made her stand out is she knew from the beginning of the year she had to work hard. She knew from the day she walked into my door in August that she had to work consistently. She never had to play catch up. She was always right on or ahead," Creaser said.
Sabrina was also a willing participant during class discussions.
"She was never afraid to take risks. In class discussion she was never afraid to put herself out there and take a somewhat educated guess when we looked at pieces, essays and examples of nonfiction," Creaser said. If Sabrina's comments or answers were wrong, Creaser would correct her. "She ate that up so she wouldn't make that mistake."
Sabrina performed well on the AP exam for English composition, as well as other AP exams. She is negotiating with her college to receive the maximum allowed transfer credit before she even steps on to campus as a student.
"I have such large dreams for life," Sabrina said. "I intend on joining Peace Corps after college and start a project that allows me to go around and build sustainable schools in impoverished areas, not just outside the country but inside the country. I want to help impoverished areas in general.
"I understand the cycle people go through and the frustration that young people become a part of because they feel money will enslave them for the rest of their lives."
Grammyof2 posted at 12:17 pm on Sun, Jun 27, 2010.
Absolutely awesome. Sabrina is a wonderful role model for other students. Not only is she willing to work hard for what she wants, but she also knows that sharing your talents with those less fortunate is rewarding. Hopefully her goals and actions will be contagious. What a tremendous amount of maturity and drive this young lady exhibits. Congratulations to Sabrina and her parents!
soricobob posted at 6:27 am on Tue, Jun 29, 2010.
Sabrina, her parents, and her teachers need to receive the highest praise. It is students such as her that makes us, the taxpayers, have faith in the system!
Mesa Citizen posted at 4:31 pm on Thu, Jul 1, 2010.
I'm not in lock-step with the rest of the people...
Great to see her driven and succeeding...
Her dream; to take money from Government and give it to herself...
Where does she think this money comes from...?
I don't buy...
How about get a great job; then pay for and build the schools you want...
Now that would be something... You probably want "World Peace" as well...
Always something for nothing... You'll make a great Democrat...
TheLaydieBee posted at 12:05 pm on Sun, Jun 19, 2011.
Hey Mesa Citizen, spoken with the true hatred for which so called conservatives have come to be known!! Did you miss the fact that, in addition to the government grants for which anyone can apply, she got scholarships from schools and private sources? FYI, sSchools and private scholarship funds don't give money to students unless the student has qualifications, like grades, activities, career goals, etc. I let you know this because I suspect that your hateful remarks are more based on jealousy because you and/or yours couldn't get into college and/or couldn't earn a scholarship.
GREAT JOB, Sabrina. I learned about it by over hearing a customer in a restaurant in Fairfax, VA and posted the article on my facebook page with the message "some of our children are simply not hungry enough!"