As college admittance letters continue to come in, and Senior Signing Day just around the corner,  you can feel the excitement building across the network as we celebrate our incredible seniors. If it wasn’t for the epic bomb cyclone this week, Cole’s Class of 2019 would have celebrated their 100% college acceptance success on Thursday as well. But on Monday afternoon, middle schoolers, high schoolers, friends and family of the College View Founding Class packed into the gym, decorated with posters created by 9th & 10th graders, to celebrate their founding class.

We heard from senior Jorge, who gave shoutouts of gratitude to his mom, dad, sister, teachers, and friends, and spoke about how resilient this founding class really is.  Another senior, Marcus, expanded on this resilience, sharing not only colorful anecdotes on the growing pains of being part of the founding class, but also how it brought them closer together. He reflected on the great impact that his current advisor, as well as his first advisor, had on his life.  He also shared how meaningful it was to him to experience so many “firsts” with a tight knit group of people- first dance, first talent show, first round of college acceptance. “From 6th grade until now, I realized it’s been a time in our lives filled with first experiences... and I’m really grateful for that. And that’s what being a part of a founding class means to me- we’re about to do things for the first time, and create a legacy.”

Current Southwest Denver board member Angela Cobián, as well as former Southwest Denver board member Rosemary Rodriguez were also in attendance. Having watched this class grow from when they first started 6th grade, Rosemary spoke about how proud she was of their achievements. A nod to the dedication of the CV staff as well as the love the founding class have for each other, she reminded them “If you ever hit a hard day, or a bump, or are discouraged, there is a whole group of people who are here for you.”

Angela Cobián and Rosemary Rodriguez at the CV Celebration

After the CV cheerleaders kept the energy high with a spirited interlude, Director of College Success Analise Gonzalez-Fine brought us back to August 20, 2015 with a picture of the first day of 9th grade. Then, with a peal of the College Acceptance Bell (it’s been rung every time a student has been admitted into college) every single senior was honored with a slide featuring their picture and a list of colleges to which they’ve been admitted.  

Gonzalez-Fine also highlighted some impactful numbers about this founding class:

The senior class has earned 370 college admittances and still counting!

CV Students have been admitted to 68 different colleges across 18 different states

CV Seniors have earned $1.1 million in scholarships

This all happened with at least 2,904 hours of work that students put in to college applications

In the words of Rosemary Rodriguez, “There’s nothing more hopeful than a lot of kids determining their own futures.” We were certainly filled with hope and pride after watching these incredibly dedicated students take another strong step along their journey to college success.

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