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Spotlight on Seniors
Each spring we invite a number of high school Crusaders to talk about their studies, their challenges and accomplishments, and their plans for the future. As graduation day approaches, they consider what they've achieved and get ready to take the next steps toward college and career success. Explore the Spotlight profiles below to learn more about these inspiring young people, and to hear their advice for younger students who are following in their footsteps.
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Bruce Reis '10
 Graduating this year from: Blackstone Academy. Favorite subject: History, especially Greek and Roman civilization. “I like learning about the past and people’s heritage and culture.” Senior project: Collaborating with friends to establish a music label called Forever Legend. His responsibility: The creative end. Mix tapes, logo, web site. Recent accomplishment: A research paper on how to be a successful businessperson, complete with business plan. Recent challenge: Keeping his life as a hip-hop musician alive while working and going to school. “I’ve been writing lyrics since I was nine and recording since I was fourteen.” Heroes: Michael Jackson and Nas. Favorite Crusade program: Crusade Adventure & Academic Program. Also: The summer Spirit program. “I like how it ties academics to community service. It’s more meaningful.” College plans: “Either Xavier University to study political science, or the University of Bridgeport to study the music business.” Advice for Crusaders going into high school: “Don’t be afraid to be yourself.” Biggest unknown about college: “Am I going to be happy spending four years here?” What he looks for in a friend: Loyalty and trust. Dream job: A career as a recording hip-hop artist with his own label. “I want to influence people with my music in a direction that motivates them in their lives.” What he values: Artistic freedom. What he does for fun: Hanging out with friends, making music.
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Elvis Huertas '10
 Graduating this year from: Blackstone Academy. Favorite subject: Math and science, chemistry in particular. “It’s so interesting how two chemicals can react to form another substance that is different from both of them.” Senior project: Researching how to help U.S. students improve their scientific literacy and assistant teaching a 9th-grade biology class. Recent accomplishment: Getting into Northeastern University, one of his first choices for college. “I’m excited about their co-op program in experiential learning.” His other first choice: Stonehill College. What he plans to study: Sciences. “If I decide to go into research, I’ll need to get my Ph.D.” Recent challenge: Serving as a teacher assistant for the Spirit program at Blackstone, where he created a lesson plan in criminology for students in grades 7-9. Favorite Crusade program: Spirit. He also teaches: Martial arts. Advice for Crusaders going into high school: “Don’t slack off. If you do, you’ll fall behind, and some of your options will close up.” What he looks for in a friend: Trust, reliability, common interests, being able to take a joke. Biggest unknown about college: How hard the classes will be. Not knowing anyone. How the teachers will teach. Dream job: Cancer or AIDS research, drug development. Secret fascination: Weapons design. What he does for fun: Playing the piano, graphic design, cooking, hanging out with friends.
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Erika Morales '10
 Graduating this year from: Willam M. Davies Jr. Career Technical High School. Favorite subject: She’s in the Cosmotology & Barbering program. “When I was younger, my mom worked a lot and my dad had to do my hair, so I learned pretty fast how to do it myself.” Senior project: She ran her own clinic at school, providing haircuts, manicures, pedicures, and facials, and donated all the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Recent accomplishment: Getting her college applications in. “I pushed myself to take it seriously, and I got it done.” Recent challenge: Raising her grades so she would have a stronger application. How she did it: “I thought about myself and what I wanted to do in the future.” Favorite Crusade program: College visits. “It’s a chance to see what college life is like. It gives you a different perspective.” Plans to attend: Community College of Rhode Island for two years, then transfer to a four-year college. Field of study: Business. About my Advisor: “It’s definitely helped, being able to go to him and ask about my grades and how to improve them. Just the encouragement to go to college has meant a lot.” Advice for Crusaders going into high school: “Don’t worry too much about what your friends are doing. They won’t always be there when you decide you need to go forward in your life.” What she looks for in a friend: Someone who isn’t all about themselves but who cares about others. Biggest unknown about college: “I feel a little nervous about it. I’m the first in my family to go.” Dream job: “Owning my own salon. I love doing hair.” What she does for fun: Goes shopping for sneakers.
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Jackeline Cano '10
 Graduating this year from: Blackstone Academy. Favorite subject: Science. “I like to make things.” Last thing she made: A Rube Goldberg contraption for feeding goldfish. Senior project: Cross-cultural study of special-needs education, based on research she did at an orphanage in Jaipur, India. Recent accomplishment: Traveling to India on her own as a volunteer with ShakeHands. Recent challenge: “Balancing being captain of the swim team with keeping my grades up.” Her stroke: Freestyle sprint. Favorite Crusade program: Bridge to Success at Roger Williams University. She went twice. “It was really fun meeting new people and staying over on campus. It made me feel more like an adult.” Plans to attend: Clark University, Quinnipiac University, or Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Advice for Crusaders entering high school: "Work hard, do a lot of activities, stay balanced, give it your all and more.” What she looks for in a friend: Trust. “Someone who accepts me for myself and gets my sarcastic jokes.” Someone who cares about things. Biggest unknown about college: “The whole thing! I’m not sure what’s ahead of me. It’s all new.” Serious dream job: Orthodontist. “I love teeth.” Fantasy dream job: Dolphin trainer. What she does for fun: Playing drums in a band with friends. Swimming, soccer, bike riding, going to the beach. Not to mention: Zip lining in Guatemala.
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Juliana Beltran '10
 Graduating this year from: Central Falls High School. Favorite subject: Science, especially biology and anatomy. “I want to be a doctor.” A recent treat: Visiting Miriam Hospital to watch open-heart surgery. “We were up above and could see right down into what they were doing.” Also enjoyed: We the People, a special class at her school where students competed in demonstrating knowledge of the U.S. Constitution. Recent accomplishment: “I raised my grades in physics and statistics.” How she did it: By working hard. Recent challenge: “Pulling my senior portfolio together to show my proficiency.” Favorite Crusade program: Crusade Summer Experience at Brown. “As part of it, they had us present to a large group, which was good practice.” About my Crusade Advisor: “She is always asking us how we are and what we think about college. She reminds us about everything we need to do. It helps a lot.” Advice for Crusaders going into high school: “Keep your grades up and don’t procrastinate because everything accumulates toward the end of senior year.” College plans: Community College of Rhode Island for two years, then transfer to a four-year college. Biggest unknown about college: How many essays she’ll have to write. Currently writing: A comparison of Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” with Voltaire’s “Candide.” Dream job: Pediatrician. What she looks for in a friend: “Someone I can trust, someone who listens.” What she does for fun: Running track and cross-county, reading.
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Neri Franco '10
 Graduating this year from: Blackstone Academy. Favorite subject: Math. “There are so many ways to solve a problem. You can come at it from more than one angle and solve the puzzle your own way.” Currently taking: Precalculus. Senior project: In collaboration with friends, starting a hip-hop record label called Forever Legend. His part in the project: The business end. Recent accomplishment: Getting into Nichols College. What he plans to study: Business entrepreneurship. Recent challenge: A research paper on financial illiteracy, with print and online citations. “It’s about how teenagers should know more about money in the real world and how economics is undertaught in our schools.” Latest book read: The Millionaire Mind, by Thomas J. Stanley. Favorite Crusade program: Crusade Adventure & Academic Program when he was in middle school. What Crusade Advisors offer: “Being able to communicate. They aren’t much older than we are, so we can connect with them.” Advice for Crusaders going into high school: “Do not procrastinate. Learn to balance your social life and your academic life. Learn from your mistakes.” What he looks for in a friend: Honesty and mutual respect. Biggest unknown about college: “Am I prepared for it?” Biggest opportunity: Having the freedom to be what he wants to be. Dream job: Being his own boss. What he does for fun: Reading and socializing with friends.
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Jonathan Aponte '09
 Graduating this year from: Woonsocket High School. Plans to attend: Community College of Rhode Island. Wants to study: Business. Favorite subject: Math. Latest accomplishment: Starting his own line of clothing called Breakin’ the Mold. “I believe society has molded people to be a certain way, and I feel called to let people know they don’t have to be that way, to give them their freedom back.” Where he does his art: In the silkscreen studio at Riverzedge Arts Project. Also is: A member of the High School Crusade Advisory Board. Favorite Crusade program: Crusade Summer Experience. My Crusade Advisor: “I can go to him when I need advice about anything, even if it doesn’t have to do with school.” Advice for Crusaders going into high school: “High school life is fun. There are a lot of good things going on, but take care of your stuff, not just your social life. Don’t procrastinate with your work.” Biggest unknown about college: “How my classes and teachers will be.” Dream job: “Owning my own clothing business and having it go big, doing what I love and getting paid.” He also thinks about opening a dance studio for young people. What he looks for in a friend: “Definitely honesty and loyalty. Someone who likes to have fun but knows when it’s time to be serious.” What he does for fun: Dancing. Writing and making music. |
Madelyn Brito '09
 Graduating this year from: Central High School. Plans to attend: Rhode Island College. Wants to study: Education. Favorite subject: “I love English. I love to read books and to write poetry and essays.” Recently wrote a response to The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy. Highly recommends: A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini. Favorite poet: Langston Hughes. Latest accomplishment: She went to find her father, which brought about healing in her family. “It broke the ice. I felt like I did something brave.” Latest challenge: Not getting enough financial aid to live on campus next year. Favorite Crusade programs: Crusade Summer Experience, plus being a member of the High School Crusade Advisory Board. “I like interacting with others and helping younger students, and I really enjoy the community service projects we do together.” My Crusade Advisor: “I am the biggest procrastinator in the world. He was always reminding me about what I needed to do and motivating me to do it. He also helped me with researching scholarships.” Advice for Crusaders going into high school: “Be very prepared. You have to stay on top of your game in high school because your grades really matter. The teachers are serious.” Biggest unknown about college: The workload and how to handle it. Dream job: Being a middle school or high school teacher. Dream life: Being recognized and published as a poet. What she looks for in a friend: “Someone who is a good listener and who can make me laugh.” What she does for fun: Writing poems, listening to music, dancing. |
Julio Cabral '09
 Graduating this year from: William J. Davies Jr. Career & Technical High School. Plans to attend: Suffolk University. Wants to study: International business and computer engineering. Favorite subject: U.S. history. “I like to know about the past and how it reflects on the future, and how we can learn from the past.” Senior project: Building a tutorial program for Second Life. Latest accomplishment: Being a presenter at the Getting to College Conference this year and advising Crusade juniors who are just beginning their applications. Also is: A member of the High School Crusade Advisory Board. Favorite Crusade programs: Bridge to Success at Roger Williams University and the three-day summer Career Exploration Program in technology at Johnson & Wales University. My Crusade Advisor: “He likes to interact with us and know about us. He has helped me more than my guidance counselor and keeps me motivated.” Advice for Crusaders going into high school: “Don’t go into situations too quick. Think it through first. Don’t live with regrets.” Biggest unknown about college: “Tuition cost and the reality of the college experience.” Dream job: Working as a computer engineer with businesses all over the world. What he looks for in a friend: Honesty and respect. What he does for fun: Community service work with the Crusade. Making music and singing, learning how to dance, playing basketball. |
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