College Access Program (CAP) student, Dilara Ozdemir attends East Providence High School and one of her “greatest goals in life is to be able to speak many different languages, so I can touch the hearts of the people who speak those languages. I am closer to achieving my dream every day, but it is the progress and the effort that matter. My first language is Turkish and my English had been improving ever since I moved to the United States four years ago. This is my fourth year taking French in high school, and I also took two years of Latin. I was also trying to learn ASL, Spanish, and Arabic; the last two still have a long way to go!”

We are amazed at her knack for language and dedication to her education!

“For me, being a first-generation college students means that I am going to be a role model for my family. My parents both went to college, but in another country, so their certificates are not accepted here. Seeing them working so hard later on in life to be able to do the jobs they love to do gives me a passion to chase my dreams. My younger sister and cousins are looking up to me, they always have. I want to be an example for them so they understand that they can do whatever they want in life.”

With your support, Dilara will soon be a first-year college student at a university of her choice where she can continue her passion for education and earn her college degree!

Click here to read the article in The Providence Journal

Photo Credit: Kris Craig/The Providence Journal