JOYA Scholars highlights El Dorado student Juan Jimenez’s accomplishments

El Dorado High School junior Juan Jimenez joined JOYA Scholars a bit skeptical at first. He had heard of the academic support his best friend, Cristian, had been receiving, and decided to give it a whirl. As a member of the El Dorado soccer team, he had seen his grades plummet as a result of an intense travel schedule combined with exhaustion and fatigue as he worked on homework assignments between practices.

Since 2014, Juan’s mentor, Dr. David Wang, associate professor at Biola University, has been there to not only provide words of encouragement, but also guide Juan in his studies. At the end of his sophomore year, Juan decided to hang up his soccer cleats, and devote more time to his school work.

Now, Juan is more focused and tenacious than ever before. His strong work ethic has transferred to the classroom, and his recent grades are proof of the incredible effort Juan has made during the first half of his junior year. Even though 11th grade is often considered the most rigorous and demanding, Juan is keeping up with such classes as French 3, Chemistry and Algebra 2 thanks to his tutors that enable him to sift through challenging material week after week. In addition, Juan is gearing up to take the first set of SAT tests next spring by meeting with his SAT tutors that volunteer their time to help not only Juan, but two other students as well. As Juan put it, “If everything goes according to plan, I will be the first member of my family to go to college.”

Not only does JOYA Scholars believe Juan is headed to college, but so does his mentor, tutors and parents. As a nonprofit organization, JOYA Scholars engages Juan with their college prep program to fill a relational and knowledge gap for students and families for whom the school system can be a confusing and intimidating process to navigate.

During Nonprofit Awareness Month this November, JOYA Scholars is expressing its heartfelt thanks to the community who make their work possible. Contributions, no matter the size, have a tremendous impact on the lives of PYLUSD students connected with the JOYA Scholars nonprofit organization. For more information or to donate to JOYA Scholars, visit joyascholars.org.