Message from Dr. Evelyn Nuñez, CEO/Superintendent of Esperanza Academy Charter School

To the remarkable Esperanza Academy Charter School Class of 2025, congratulations! We celebrate not only your achievements but the journey, determination, and hope that brought you here. With 177 graduates, this class has demonstrated resilience, perseverance, and brilliance. You’ve earned a staggering $1.7 million in scholarship offers, and 20 of you are heading into the future on full-ride scholarships, an incredible accomplishment that reflects your hard work and the support of your families, teachers, and community.

Your dreams are taking you to prestigious institutions like the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, Temple, LaSalle, Drexel, and beyond. Some of you will serve our country in the Air Force, while others will pursue passions in the trades or technical fields. Whether you’re stepping onto a college campus, entering military service, or learning a skilled trade, know that you carry the spirit of Esperanza with you. You are proof that hope, when fueled by dedication, can transform lives.

As you embark on your next chapter, remember: Esperanza will always be your home. We are proud of you, we believe in you, and we can’t wait to see how you change the world. ¡Adelante, Class of 2025!

Esperanza Academy Charter School Class of 2025: Valedictorian Mariangeliz Medina

1. What are your plans after graduation?

After graduating from EA in the class of 2025 I plan to continue higher education in the University of Pennsylvania, with a major in criminology. I hope to pursue a deeper level of understanding when it comes to our government and law enforcement with the intent of contributing to a better future.

2. What are you most excited about as you take this next step? What are you most looking forward to in life after high school?

As I take this next step forward, I am excited for the journey of learning new things and adapting to new environments. I look forward to meeting great minds that challenge me and push me towards a better version of myself. I believe that the freedom that I will have in college will not change who I am but fortify my discipline and accountability towards myself.

3. How do you think your time at EACS helped prepare you for what’s next?

My time at EACS has encouraged me to yearn for knowledge and what is beneficial, not because someone told me to, but because such things should be what I want for myself. I’ve learned to take responsibility for how I lead my life, knowing that it will be what I choose to make of it.

I have also learned that leaning on a community, on friends for help and support is a beautiful thing. Not to be cliche or overly optimistic, but when situations get tough and confusing, having people around you that will navigate the fog with you pushes you in a way that will leave you feeling stronger and accompanied.

A strong foundation is one that has proper support.

4. Who or what has inspired you most on your journey so far?

The mere essence of what learning is has been my motivator, my passion. I find inspiration in knowing that I can never know enough, knowing that there is still so much I do not know. I find inspiration in every person I meet, I am moved to understand, to know the things they know and I do not.

5. What advice would you give to younger students who are still figuring out their path?

To those who are still figuring out their paths, don’t overthink it. It is not as easy as it sounds but I find that simply trying new things and putting yourself out there, in the open, and living in the moment will get you to finding what you really enjoy quicker. Overthinking puts you in a spiral of confusion and frustration. It is when you have fun and realize it after that you are truly able to identify the joy in what you participated in. Once you realize it, recall the things you were good at, reflect on the things you need to work on and take it from there.

I also say, nothing will ever happen if you do not make the effort to make it happen. Motivation does not always come out of the blue, sometimes you have to push yourself through the rough patches until you find yourself back on your feet.

Esperanza Academy Charter School Class of 2025: Darlene Jimenez

1. What are your plans after graduation?

I plan to attend Swarthmore College and major in Engineering.

2. What are you most excited about as you take this next step? What are you most looking forward to in life after high school?

I am most excited about what I can do now that I am in college. The possibilities that lie ahead of me, whether that be the biomedical way or the pre-med way. For four years, I knew that college was the main goal. Everything I did outside of school, I tried my best to be calculated in order to benefit my chances of getting into a top school. Now that my main goal of four years has been completed, I am excited about the unknown. Being able to complete such a big goal made me realize that maybe it’s okay not to know the future. I like the uncertainty that my life holds. The possibility that I can be anything I want is incredibly enticing, just as terrifying. It’s okay to lose a little of the control that I have tried so hard to gain about my career. I like the uncertainty because no matter what, I am proud of myself right now. I can’t wait to see who I become.

3. How do you think your time at EACS helped prepare you for what’s next?

The teachers at EACS have definitely helped me to prepare for what lies ahead of me. A teacher like Mr. Roberts has had an impact on me by introducing me to the unknown. He helped me understand that even if I don’t know what lies ahead, I shouldn’t be afraid, because as long as I surround myself with good people, I will always have a good support system. Another teacher, Ms. Gonzalez, helped me understand how college classes are shaped, and it’s definitely been an incredible help. Overall, the support system that EACS and the incredible present and past teachers have taught me is that even if something doesn’t go my way, I know I am going to be okay.

4. Who or what has inspired you most on your journey so far?

My mother has inspired me the most in my journey so far. Every single day, I am reminded of all the sacrifices my mother has made for me. She came to a country where she didn’t know the language, just for me to have the opportunity of a better future. A future she never had. Anytime that I felt like giving up or letting doubt come over me, I remember everything that was done to get me where I am today. I may not have accomplished anything just yet, but getting into a top college is all because of my mother. I owe everything that I have and will have to my mother. Every single thing I want to do in life, I know is possible because my mother made it possible.

My mother is the only person who truly knows everything I have done to get where I am, and she has supported me day by day, whether it was waking up at 3 a.m. next to me to do homework and go to work afterwards or helping me control my stress when it came to where I was going to college.

5. What advice would you give to younger students who are still figuring out their path?

Relax. Learn to take things day by day. Live in the present, but don’t let people talk you into something that will deprive you of your path. If you know what you want, fight as hard as you can for the future, but don’t let that desire blind you from what is right in front of you. It’s okay to be a kid. If you are not sure if you want to go to college/university, make sure you still care about your grades enough to not regret anything when you get to your senior year. You don’t need to have it figured out at 17/18. I beg of you, take it day by day.

Esperanza Academy Charter School Class of 2025: Mazin Bilal

1. What are your plans after graduation?

After graduation, I will major in Neuroscience on the premed track at The University of Pennsylvania. After my undergraduate years, I am planning on attending medical school with the goal of becoming an acute critical care trauma surgeon. I plan to open a private practice, as well as start and employ a number of free medical clinics in rural Sudan.

2. What are you most excited about as you take this next step? What are you most looking forward to in life after high school?

I am looking forward to joining and participating in clubs and campus life, and the many resources Penn offers. I am also excited to have a more flexible schedule that will allow me to pursue my hobbies in more depth, as well as find new ones!

3. How do you think your time at EACS helped prepare you for what’s next?

Esperanza is very unique in the community involvement it fosters. It straddles being ethnically diverse while still staying culturally and socially significant. Esperanza was founded to empower communities to improve their conditions, and its core mission has been invaluable to me.

The administration’s readiness to provide guidance and resources allowed me to take the first steps to start grassroots medical initiatives that provide resources far beyond North Philadelphia. With Esperanza’s support, I hope to be able to reduce maternal mortality in rural Sudan by 50% within 5 years through training and supplying village midwives. As a student at Esperanza, there were many resources available for me to take an active role in my community. I am confident the skills I gained from Esperanza will support my endeavors and translate well to my future academic and international endeavors.

4. Who or what has inspired you most on your journey so far?

My father and mother hail from rural Sudan, where struggle is the only thing guaranteed. And although they were never able to eat to their fill, they were always filled with a passion for helping the community. They never turned away, even when life demanded more of them than seemed fair.

I saw my mother set aside her medical career to raise us, and I saw my father set aside his medical career to move us to America. That taught me sacrifice, and witnessing them currently persevere to get back into medicine again continues to teach me determination. My mother, a physician with over 15 years of experience, is currently redoing her residency in Wales. My father, a physician with over 20 years of experience, is currently reapplying for medical school.

I use the perseverance they taught me to push through setbacks, the love of service they inspire in me whenever I volunteer, and the sacrifice they display as inspiration to give. In striving to embody their essence, I found myself. For as long as I’m alive, I will keep them alive as well; living and breathing through every decision I make, every life I touch, and every act of kindness I offer. Their legacy will endure not only in my actions, but also in the values I share with those around me, ensuring that their love, strength, and sacrifices continue to shape the world for generations to come.

5. What advice would you give to younger students who are still figuring out their path?

Be genuine. It’s one of those rare qualities that cannot be faked. In an age of gilded facades, give and don’t expect anything in return. Be there for people. Be that person people can rely on. Be that person people can approach, and never do it for an ulterior motive. You will never gain value from your interactions with others if you never provide value.

Be grounded. Never place your self-worth on a dream that you sell to yourself based on the permission of others. Never measure yourself against an arbitrary measure of success that society forced onto you. Never place your self-worth in a ‘yesterday’ that doesn’t exist anymore, nor a ‘tomorrow’ that is never promised. Rooting your self-worth in anything other than yourself is a mistake. If your happiness is rooted in anything other than yourself, you do not own it.

Be driven. Find something that keeps you up at night. Something you care about. Something you can’t stand to leave alone. Now go chase after it. We live in an age where many are complacent about not caring how they make a living. Dare to care about your cause, and be terrified of becoming a faceless, nameless part of the masses. Leave a mark wherever you tread. Be irreplaceable, and most importantly, be unforgettable.