From Pájaro to Harvard: A young girl overcomes homelessness to attend the Ivy League school

SALINAS, Calif., (KION-TV) – According to Harvard University records the admission rate is 4%, just last year only 29 acceptance letters were sent. This year, among those invitations, was Alexandra Arguello, a young resident from Pájaro who battled many adversities during the disaster that displaced thousands of families in that community.  

The first time Alexandra faced evacuation was during her first year of high school when their landlord suddenly asked them to leave their home in Salinas. Juana, Alexandra's mother, searched for housing for several months, but in the meantime, they were homeless sleeping in their car.

Yet, Alexandra continued her education and remained in school until they finally found a home in the town of Pájaro. Alexandra's life went back to normal for a few months, until the COVID-19 pandemic sprouted, beginning a new era of remote education, social distancing, and isolation. 

"Despite the pandemic and having to study at home, her professors were surprised that Alexandra's grades never went down, in fact, she even received an award for having the highest grades among her class," said Juana, Alexandra's mother. 

After a few years of isolation, in-person classes resumed, and Alexandra was allowed to return to school. The only problem was that she would have to travel over 20 miles (32.19 km) to get to school from Pájaro because she was enrolled in Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas. 

On March 11, the Pájaro River levee breached the community and in the middle of the night, Alexandra and her mother rushed to find the nearest shelters. Yet, all of them were already filled.  Without a place to stay, they had no choice but to sleep in their car. The only available shelter they found was in King City, and eventually commute to school every day. It was not until a month after, that they were able to finally re-enter the community and return to their home in Pájaro.

"Well, I knew that education was my priority and I knew it was the only thing that could help me get ahead, so I focused on that instead of all the bad things that were going on in the community," said Alexandra Arguello. 

Some students wondered why she continued to attend a school so far away from her community. She explained it was because the Puente program, to which she belonged, was unique and as low-income immigrants, they couldn't let that opportunity slip away.

Alexandra says she has always had a positive mentality, she saw her mother's sacrifice and living conditions and knew that paying for school would be very expensive.

"Alexandra told me since she was little that I didn't have to worry about paying for college because she was going to do good in school and that she would find a way to get assistance, that her education would be paid for," said Juana. 

Although her mother commuted every day to take Alexandra to school, she says the results of her grades and being accepted to Harvard University have been her biggest reward.

Alexandra graduated with a 4.4 GPA, over 1,000 hours of community service, on top of the acceptance to Harvard University.

If you'd like to help support Alexandria's educational journey you can donate here.