PHOENIX — A Phoenix Union student is among the rare company of students heading to an Ivy League school.
Sarah Ramos-Gonzalez admits she’s a little rusty with the Rubik’s cube these days. When she was competing, she could finish the puzzle in just more than 20 seconds, but these days it’s more like 40 seconds.
That may be the least impressive thing about her.
She was born in Phoenix but for some of her early grade school years, the teen and her family lived in Mexico, making English her second language.
For better opportunities, she and her family moved to the Maryvale neighborhood in Phoenix.
It wasn’t until she was much older that she realized she was living in an underserved community.
As a cross-country runner, she explained, ”We couldn’t even afford shirts with logos on them. We’d go to races, and we were like, 'Who are we?'"
It's a good thing she knows how to hustle because Ramos-Gonzalez's proactive attitude led her to start calculus when she was a sophomore.
She and a small group of others would drive to their class on a separate campus. She says they advocated to be put in a higher-level class to further their academics.
She’s part of the National Honor Society, Mock Trial, and advocacy groups for marginalized communities.
“Information is power,” she said.
One of her goals is to follow in her sister Karla’s footsteps and go to Yale.
The Ivy League school has an acceptance rate of about 5%.
When she told friends and family she wanted to go to Yale, she replied, “They were supportive, very supportive.”
In December, Ramos-Gonzalez not only got accepted to Yale but she got a full ride.
We could do a whole separate story on the list of scholarships she received.
She plans to study sociology and Spanish.
Afterward, she hopes to start law school with a focus to advocate for those who are undocumented.
“They need a bridge to help with real-life problems. I want to be that bridge,” she said.
One thing the soon-to-be Ivy Leaguer from the desert admits is that she may not be quite prepared for Connecticut winters.