Josephina Vega
6th Grade

Finney Elementary School
San Diego, CA

Twelve year-old Josefina Vega won a $2500 grand prize college scholarship for her essay submitted to the 2008 "Save Me a Spot in College" Contest.

When her Finney Elementary School teachers heard that she had won, they began passing around a hat to raise money for her to go to Sacramento and join education and policy leaders urging lawmakers to pass SB 890 Early Commitment to College, a bill that would teach students early about how to go to college and how to pay for it. Josefina made it to Sacramento. SB 890 passed into law in September 2008.

Josefina read her essay in front of a crowd of 500 on the State Capitol steps in Sacramento and met with education leaders including the Secretary of Education and the Chair of the Assembly Education Committee.

"Everything that has happened has touched the hearts of our entire district – everybody is rallying behind her. People are reaching into their wallets. We want her to feel like her college experience has already started. We really want to see her succeed," said her 6th grade teacher Edrick Macalaguim who teaches at Finney Elementary School in San Diego's Chula Vista Elementary School District. Made more inspiring is the fact that Ms. Vega no longer attends Finney Elementary – this year she begins classes at Montgomery Middle School in San Diego's Sweetwater Union High School District.

Macalaguim knows first‐hand how important it is for students as young as Josefina Vega to learn about college. Many in his class like Ms. Vega would be the first in their families to go to college and most come from low-income backgrounds. Every year he has his sixth graders write away to colleges and universities to get information so that they learn how to reach out to those schools. And every year for the past three years he has had his students enter the "Save Me a Spot in College" Contest.

Josefina's mom also named Josefina, is a childcare worker and has been a volunteer with Finney Elementary School for the past 12 years – her older daughters, Karina and Melissa, attend Montgomery High School. Josefina's father Humberto is an auto mechanic for the United States Postal Service. Both parents are bursting with pride about Josefina's accomplishment. As her mom says, "I know that each of my daughters can be someone important someday."