“My sister is in college, and it’s a huge hardship for my mother. This is stress relief for her,” Sweetwine said, adding that he is considering a pre-medicine track at a number of Ivy League schools. “This opportunity has changed my whole life and is the most incredible thing that has ever happened to me.”
Lomax reminded students to share their collective success with the “people who have invested in your success,” like parents, community members, faith leaders and teachers.
Although work kept Rivas’ mother from attending, Rivas’ father dabbled with a camera to catch his daughter’s gasping moments of joy.
“I am just grateful to God. We tried hard to keep her on the right path,” the grinning father said about his daughter in Spanish. “I think she is still in shock. In a few minutes, she will probably start crying from the joy.”
