How He Became a Scholar
According to Jae, “When I was in the 6th grade my high school advisor called me into her office. She told me about this amazing program called A Better Chance that I should apply to… So I decided to apply and here I am now.”
How he thinks his life might have been different had he not become a Scholar
When Jae reflects on all he learned from A Better Chance, he believes it really may have made the difference in his being successful at The Thacher School, starting with their decision to admit him. As a Scholar, he prepared for interviews and testing, learned how the environments of different Member Schools worked, and discovered the breadth of education options available to him.
Other incredible things he suspects wouldn’t have happened were it not for A Better Chance: competing in English equestrian events and going to Panama with the nonprofit organization Amigos de las Americas (AMIGOS) to work with community members and other volunteers on community development projects in public health, youth engagement, and environmental sustainability.
“I’m in this amazing school that is teaching me about the greater good,” says Jae, “so when I am here and when I leave, I can make changes.”
What Jae does in addition to his studies
In addition to classes at The Thacher School, Jae volunteers at a local farm and as a tutor at a local elementary school. He has played both JV and Varsity Football for Thacher, plays in a string ensemble, and has participated in multiple theatrical productions at Thacher, too. He works on the school newspaper, The Notes, and is an active member of Spectrum, the schools’ LGBTQ+ group, and Latinos Unidos. He is also working on the curriculum for a class he’ll teach next year and loves playing bass guitar, doing ceramics, writing poetry, and reading.