During the 2024-25 school year, the Richmond Promise College Access Team will be joined in its work by Near-Peer Ambassadors. These members of our team are current RP Scholars who assist in the execution of in-classroom programming in local high schools. We are pleased to introduce you to one of our 2024-25 Ambassadors, Leonel.

Q: First, some basic info. Tell us your name, current school, the high school you graduated from and your major (or intended field of study):

A: My name is Leonel, I am currently attending San Francisco State University and I graduated from Richmond High School. My current major is Business General.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about being an RP Near-Peer Ambassador and what are you hoping to get from the experience?

A: As a RP Near-Peer Ambassador, I’m hoping to help my community’s students as much as possible by showing them there are people who will support them in reaching the goal they want to achieve!

Q: If you were going to give advice to a high school senior about going through the college application process, what would it be?

A: Some advice I would give high school seniors about the college application process is to not wait until the last week to turn them in. There can be many technical issues that can cause you to be delayed even more than you already have.

Q: What’s the best part about being in college/what should a high school senior look forward to?

A: One of the best parts about being in college is being able to have the freedom you want while also providing for your future career. One thing a senior should look forward to is the amount of growth college gives you, not just for your career but socially as well.

Q: What are you most looking forward to after college?

A: After college I’m mostly looking forward to having new opportunities to grow as a person and help my community like starting a nonprofit to help other students in my community!