Santiago Potes, first Latino DACA recipient to win the Rhodes Scholarship
Santiago Potes, es el primer receptor latino de DACA en ganar la Beca Rhodes
FLORIDA (CNN) — In second grade, Santiago Potes walked into Marina Esteva’s gifted and talented classroom at Sweetwater Elementary School in Miami, Florida, for the first time.
He was an undocumented immigrant from Colombia who entered the country when he was 4 years old. Esteva said she quickly noticed his intelligence and wanted to nurture him toward success.
Now, Potes is the first Latino DACA recipient to be awarded a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.
On Saturday, the Rhodes Trust announced that Potes, a 2020 graduate of Columbia University in New York, would be one of the 2021 Rhodes Scholars.
Santiago Potes is pictured with elementary school teacher Marina Esteva, who he describes as “one of the biggest blessings that I’ve had in my life so far.”
Potes traces all his success back to Esteva, the teacher he saw twice a week from second to fifth grade in elementary school.
“She was one of the biggest blessings that I’ve had in my entire life so far,” Potes told CNN’s Poppy Harlow.
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En segundo grado, Santiago Potes entró por primera vez al aula de superdotados y talentosos de Marina Esteva en la escuela primaria Sweetwater en Miami, Florida.
Era un inmigrante indocumentado de Colombia que ingresó al país cuando tenía 4 años. Esteva dijo que rápidamente notó su inteligencia y quería alimentarlo para el éxito.
Ahora, Potes es el primer beneficiario latino de DACA en recibir una prestigiosa beca Rhodes.
El sábado, Rhodes Trust anunció que Potes, graduado en 2020 de la Universidad de Columbia en Nueva York, sería uno de los Rhodes Scholars en 2021.
Potes remonta todo su éxito a Esteva, el maestro al que veía dos veces por semana de segundo a quinto grado en la escuela primaria.
“Ella fue una de las mayores bendiciones que he tenido en toda mi vida hasta ahora”, dijo Potes a Poppy Harlow de CNN.
CNN
