OMARINA CABRERA: I was scared because the ending of my junior year wasn’t what I wanted it to be in terms of academics.

CATHERINE MILLER: There was a possibility that the grades were still going to overshadow her accomplishments, which was so disheartening to think about. And I wasn’t sure what we were going to do if she didn’t have any financial aid.

Bronx, NY

NARRATOR: The answer came when she was home for December break.

OMARINA CABRERA: Hi!

CATHERINE MILLER: Hey!

OMARINA CABRERA: How are you? You look so pretty.

NARRATOR: She waited for the news at her old middle school.

OMARINA CABRERA: I’m just a big bunch of nerves right now. Anything can happen, basically.

CATHERINE MILLER: The email comes at 5: 00?

OMARINA CABRERA: At 6: 00.

CATHERINE MILLER: Oh, OK.

OMARINA CABRERA: I got an email yesterday saying that they’re going to email it to me at 6: 00. [laughter] OK, y’all are taking too long for this. Like, I need to know. It’s been nine minutes! [screams]

CATHERINE MILLER: [laughs]

OMARINA CABRERA: Oh, my God! I got in! Oh, my God! Yes! And the money— I don’t know. I don’t know. I think they might send in the money later. I’ll cry if I get full finan— like, cry real tears. I don’t cry.

CATHERINE MILLER: So I just asked if we can see a snapshot of the financial aid letter. Oh, wait, wait, wait! He just emailed me back.

OMARINA CABRERA: What did he say?

CATHERINE MILLER: “I can tell you that is— it is an extremely generous package”—

OMARINA CABRERA: [screams]

CATHERINE MILLER: —“and she should have no issues making it work next year and beyond”! [laughs]

OMARINA CABRERA: [screams]

CATHERINE MILLER: OK, now I feel better. Now I feel better. [laughs] I feel better. [laughs] It’s OK! Oh, thank God. [laughs] It’s OK.

TEACHER: You made it!

TEACHER: [inaudible] this, right? This is what you were working for.

CATHERINE MILLER: Oh, it’s OK.

TEACHER: Yeah. You made it.

OMARINA CABRERA: Oh, my God.

TEACHER: You made it. You made it.

OMARINA CABRERA: OK. Oh, God, I don’t ever cry, but this— this is cry-worthy. Oh, my God, thank you so much!

ROBERT BALFANZ, Johns Hopkins University:  Lives in poverty are fragile. You could be doing great one week one year, and then something else hits, and if you don’t have support, you can still crumble.

Middle school intervention is not sufficient in itself, but it’s essential that it starts there. CUT And we can see that in these two kids’ life trajectories . Although Omarina got some special advantages, you don’t need the boarding school. You need a decent high school. Two to three adults will get you all the way through high school graduation and on a path to post-secondary.

Her brother tragically represents the other side of the story. If we don’t solve the problem or change the behavior that’s leading a 6th grader to miss a month of school, or fail math and English, it doesn’t self-correct. In fact, we clearly see it gets worse.

NARRATOR: Around the same time that Omarina was accepted to George Washington, Omarlin was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.

OMARINA CABRERA: One of the people who were testifying against him, in their report, they said that Omarlin had told them, like, “I’m sorry that I’m doing this. I’m doing this for my daughter.” He doesn’t get to see a big portion of her early years, and his daughter’s growing up pretty fast.

It just really, really messes with me, like, knowing that I’m moving on to a good part of my life. You know, I’m graduating high school. I’ve always felt like he’s lagging behind me, and I— you know, I don’t know how to get him on track. But this is something different in the sense that this is the rest of our lives. This is no longer, you know, school. This is his life.

No one in my immediate family has graduated high school and gone to college. However, I believe I will be the first one and they will be excited and thrilled and they’ll be proud of what I’ve become.

TEACHER: To be that full of profound perspective and wisdom at this stage in her life leaves me believing that are no limits to what she might do for, and share with, the world. It is my privilege to present the Trustee’s Prize to Omarina Cabrera. [applause, cheers]

Congratulations to the Class of 2016.