Alumni Spotlight: Denisse

High school sophomore Denisse says her parents always told her, “Your education will make you someone one day,” and so they were excited to learn about High Jump’s free academic enrichment program.

When Denisse first started at High Jump she felt panicked because it was a completely new environment. She started out being very quiet, but over two years she became more persistent and decisive about what she wanted to do. High Jump told her it was okay to speak her mind, and by the time she moved on to high school, she felt more confident in herself to become a leader in her community.

Now a senior at St. Ignatius College Prep on a full scholarship, Denisse is thriving. She co-created a Latinx student organization at her school and she’s also a member of the National Honor Society and Chicago Scholars.

“High Jump made me challenge myself and go beyond what was expected of me. I don’t think I would have gotten into St. Ignatius or thought about my future if it wasn’t for High Jump.”

High Jump was just the beginning of Denisse’s journey to success, and now she is preparing for the next step in her education: college. She will be a first-generation college student and her dream is to major in business at Harvard University and create her own company, a goal that she wouldn’t have even considered without High Jump.