Gabe Trevino

Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School, Class of 2010

Born and raised in the inner-city, I grew up in a single-parent home and attended the Rochester City Schools my entire life. My mother worked as a nanny, where she did her best to make ends meet while pushing me to be successful in school. But as a young student, the importance of good grades and the hazy vision of college in the distance could only hold my attention for so long. Often my focus shifted towards the more pressing aspects of teenage life: going to eat after school before practice, trying to look and dress cool in front of my crush, buying the latest video game so I could play with my friends. All these things that make up teenage life, that demanded money, time, and energy that I had in short supply. And like most children of a hard-working parent, I wanted to help my mom pay the bills, for her to not have to work as hard, and to be able to afford those small luxuries that were often out of reach.

That is where the RCSF stepped in, and for which I will be eternally grateful. Their financial support enabled me to focus on my studies, and actually pushed me to do better in school. Their generosity allowed me to make academics my full-time job and not miss out on those important aspects of teenage life. And that support ultimately paid off as I was able to graduate valedictorian of my high school class. I attended Harvard University on a full-ride scholarship. I am currently a software engineer for Harris Corporation developing Android applications.