Jimmy Carter Early College High School wrapped up College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) Week with a session that connected students with two accomplished scholars offering candid insight, motivation, and strategies for success in college admissions.
The event featured Ariana Palomo, a 2025 Rhodes Scholar and Brown University graduate, and Anevay Ybáñez, a Tufts University graduate and documentary filmmaker. Both speakers highlighted the challenges of leaving home, navigating selective universities, and finding community on their campuses.
Palomo described her transition from a Texas public school to Brown University, where she studied International Public Affairs and Latin American studies, and later earned the Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford.
“It can be intimidating to know that you're going into a place that is very different from where you are, but you will always find community,” Palomo said. “Meeting professors, attending office hours, and building those relationships helped me find opportunities and grow.”
Ybáñez, a double major in Film and Media Studies and Sociology, spoke about her documentary work and how leaving the Rio Grande Valley deepened her appreciation for her culture.
“I realized how unique it is to grow up surrounded by Hispanic culture, and I took that for granted until I left,” Ybáñez said. “We come from such a different place, but that’s what makes us persevere and soar.”
She also encouraged students to take chances when applying for selective schools.
“I got into a school with a 4% acceptance rate, and I didn’t think I would,” Ybáñez said. “Give yourselves that chance. Push yourself to write those essays and apply, because you are setting up the rest of your life and opening doors for the generations that come after you.”
Both speakers emphasized the importance of early preparation, building strong relationships with teachers and professors, and applying to a wide range of schools and scholarships, including selective ones.
“Rejection is part of it, and if you're not receiving rejection, it means that you're not applying to enough things,” Palomo said.
The event was part of a series of CCMR Week activities designed to help students prepare for life after high school through mentorship and exposure to diverse opportunities. For Lindsay C. Barajas, CCMR coach at Jimmy Carter Early College High School and host of the session, it was a chance to introduce students to two accomplished Latina scholars while reflecting on the personal significance of seeing her daughter, Anevay Ybáñez, return as a speaker and role model.
“Hosting this webinar was especially meaningful, as it highlighted the achievements of two inspiring Latinas—a 2025 Rhodes Scholar and my daughter, a 2025 Tufts graduate,” Barajas said. “As a mother and an educator, I could not be prouder of their accomplishments and their willingness to give back. My hope is that their journeys remind our students that they, too, are deserving and equipped to thrive wherever their paths may lead.”