The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

Alumni Spotlight: Peter Gotting, YES Prep Southeast Class of 2005

February 21, 2012 by Tenesha Villanueva

Peter Gotting graduated from YES Prep Southeast in 2005.  He attended the University of St. Thomas where he majored in Environmental Studies and graduated in 2009.  Peter currently serves as a Community and Environmental Organizer for Texas Gulf Coast and will defend his Masters thesis in Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico later this spring. 

Peter on his experience at YES Prep...

What is your favorite YES Prep memory?  

I honestly do not know which to choose. My seven years at YES Prep was full of so many defining or meaningful moments for me that I find it difficult to have a favorite. At the risk of sounding cheesy, some of the most special moments for me were school assemblies. Seeing everyone grouped together, all of our teachers, the

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New Initiative Supports YES Prep Alumni Parents

February 14, 2012 by Tenesha Villanueva

Over 90% of YES Prep alumni are the first in their family to attend college. With limited knowledge on how to navigate complicated college systems, academic life or the college social scene, it is often tough for parents to relate to their child’s struggles in the collegiate environment.  Couple this with the emotional stress associated with paying for college, adjusting to an “empty nest” or other issues that come along with a student’s college experience; parents have a very difficult task in supporting their child to college graduation. 

YES Prep understands the role our parents play as the “front line of defense” when it comes to supporting our alumni through college. Last semester, YES Prep’s Alumni Program launched the Alumni Parent Support Network.  The goal of the group is

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AT&T Sends Santa to Surprise YES Prep Seniors

December 20, 2011 by Brittany Baize

On Wednesday of last week, ten YES Prep seniors headed to KIPP High School to represent YES Prep at a check presentation.  They joined ten KIPP seniors to receive $10,000 in gifts for our two schools from AT&T.  While smiling for the camera, they were surprised to see Santa enter the room with a large bag of presents!  Santa passed out twenty wrapped boxes to the students.  

As the gifts were passed down, J.J. Romero Cabrero was guessing what could be inside. "I thought the gift was a book."  As the wrapping paper came off, the students realized AT&T had surprised them each with a Samsung tablet to take to college.  Cabrero said, "Then I realized I could use this tablet to read a lot of books!"  The students were thrilled and grateful for AT&T's holiday generosity to each individual

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Alumni Spotlight:  Lucia (Serna) Vasquez, YES Prep Class of 2001

December 01, 2011 by Tenesha Villanueva

Lucia (Serna) Vasquez graduated from YES Prep in 2001 (our first-ever graduating class!).  She has been a proud member of the United States Air Force for 7 years where she works in Public Health/Deployment Medicine and is stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. 

Lucia on her experience at YES Prep…

What is your favorite YES Prep memory?

I have two:

Sophomore Spring Trip - The bus ride to New York City.  We convinced the teachers to play a mixed CD one of the guys brought along.  They kept flipping through the songs for an “appropriate” one and finally left it on “Wanna Be a Baller”.  The whole bus was singing along – including our bus driver!

Sophomore Christmas Program – Mr. Barbic got El Mercado Del Sol to let us use their empty atrium to have our Christmas

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Alumni Spotlight: Mark Medina Jr., YES Prep Southeast Class of 2006

December 01, 2011 by Tenesha Villanueva

Mark Anthony Medina, Jr. graduated from YES Prep Southeast in 2006.  Mark has been a proud member of the United States Marine Corps for 2 years where he currently serves as a Data Networking Specialist and is stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. 

Mark on his experience at YES Prep…

What is your favorite YES Prep memory?

My favorite memories at YES Prep were always in the dance room. My participation in the dance program greatly enhanced my experience at YES Prep.  The one that stands out the most is when I broke the mirror during a late night rehearsal.

Name the teacher/staff member who had the greatest impact on you and why.

The staff member that had the biggest impact on my life was Ms. Lisa Castillo, our dance instructor. She saw my potential as a dancer and invested

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