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A Cass Technical High School graduate from Southwest Detroit graduated with a scholarship to University of Michigan in hand after overcoming various challenges. With the help from a mentor with Alternatives for Girls, she’s now living her American dream and her family’s prayers that once seemed unreachable.
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A Cass Technical High School graduate from Southwest Detroit nearly fell through the cracks, struggling in school, facing cultural hurdles, and being in classrooms where she didn’t always see herself.
However, with the support of a local mentoring program, she has transformed her situation and secured a scholarship to the University of Michigan.
This is not just any dream; it is Emily Vargas's dream.
The backstory:
"My parents immigrated here for me to have the American dream. That was their only goal for me: to go to school, get a good education, and have a successful life for myself. I carried that weight. It was very heavy," Vargas said.
From Mexico to Southwest Detroit, Emily knew what she wanted out of life from as early as elementary school.
"I didn’t really see a lot of kids striving towards that college path, even in my neighborhood and high school as well," Vargas said.
Then came Alternatives for Girls, a recommendation from a family friend that landed Emily in the nonprofit’s mentorship program. She matched with her mentor just a month before the COVID shutdown.
"She had this goal that she wanted to get into Cass Tech. I remember getting together just weeks before that application was due and trying to help her work through it. It was very challenging. She got turned down and was so discouraged. She got her grades up from C’s and D’s to A’s and B’s in one semester, reapplied, and got into Cass Tech. It was a terrific awakening for her to say, 'I can do this,'" said Susan Tish, of AFG Mentor.
And she did. Vargas is now a Cass Tech Class of 2025 graduate. Her family is proud, standing by her side, watching Emily live out the dream.
Beating the odds and determined to succeed, Vargas was awarded a scholarship from the University of Michigan.
What’s next:
She’s heading to her dream school with new goals of becoming a certified accountant and one day owning her own firm.
"I’m ready to go out to Ann Arbor and find my new community there. I really want to be a role model because AFG was like an older sibling to me, like an older sister. I hope that I can embody that," Vargas said.
The Source: The report contains information from interviews for this story.
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