According to Harvard’s website, total applications were up nearly 43% over last year. Of the 57,435 applications they received for the Class of 2025, Harvard offered admission to 1,968 students. One of those accepted students was Jose Quiroz Yanez. A student of Spangler Elementary School, Timberline PK-8, and now Skyline and Front Range Community College, we are so proud of this Falcon Tech senior!
Jose’s hard work over the past four years has enabled him to maintain a 4.2 GPA at Skyline, while simultaneously earning A’s in all of his college courses at Front Range. This spring he will earn his high school diploma along with his Associate’s Degree in Computer Information Systems from Front Range in just four years.
Jose moved to the U.S. when he was 9-10 years old without speaking any English. He credits the help and encouragement of his teachers and classmates with helping push him to try his best in everything he does. “Every teacher I have worked with at Skyline and at Front Range has challenged me in the classroom and it is because of their passion for teaching that I have built strong connections with them. Dr. Polak, Ms. Debby, Ms. King, Ms. Versoi, Ms. Benko, Mr. Frick, Ms. Cook, Ms. Mares, Ms. Jimenez, Ms. Greenberg, and Ms. Wicker are just some of the teachers that have made an impact in my life through their encouraging demeanor.” Two educators in particular have stood out for Jose these past four years, Louise March and Jeff Lund. “I have known Ms. March since middle school and it is because of her willingness to make time to help every one of her students that I am where I am today. She knows my family and she knows me and having her in my corner, fighting with me for my dreams, is something I am extremely grateful for. Jeff is always pushing me out of my comfort zone to pursue new opportunities, to create my own business, and to work with clients through my role as Lead Video Editor at the Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools.”
This work at the Innovation Center has piqued Jose’s interest in a possible career in videography. In his leadership role on the Studio Team, Jeff has pushed Jose over the past 3+ years with challenging film projects and clients. According to Jeff, “Jose has learned to work with clients on projects and has become a stellar editor. This past summer, he was hired by a company to develop training videos for a project in New Mexico, and has even developed a small editing business on his own. He is detail-oriented and a great team player. He is currently training younger students as he is moving on in his next life venture. Jose and I have shared laughs and tears over the years. I am so proud of him.”
A Falcon Tech student, Jose spoke of how difficult the program was at times because of the dual-enrollment courses. However, because of the support he received from Skyline, FRCC, and IBM, he was challenged in ways most high school students don’t get to experience. “Because of this program, I have learned that there is no one-way path that will get you to where you need to be,” Jose said. “The most important thing is to be unapologetically yourself. I’ve done my best to be myself in high school and to not let my story and my background impact me negatively. Instead, I draw strength from the challenges I’ve been through and turn that into drive; drive to move forward and share my story, not hide it.”
Jose is planning to attend Harvard University and although he has not committed to a field of study yet, his main interests right now are Neuroscience and Film. About this endeavor, Jose says he is most excited about the “opportunity to meet people from all over the world, and being able to step out of my comfort zone to explore my interests in the Cambridge/Boston area.”
According to Falcon Tech counselor Louise March, “Jose embodies the ‘American Dream’ as he is one of the hardest working students I have ever known. He has raw intelligence, but his grit has taken him to exceed even his own expectations.”