By Irma Chavez
                                               
            My friend Nancy was working in the office when our favorite (in my case my life saver) counselor Mrs. Bening told her about the ACE Program.  After Mrs. Bening explained it to her, Nancy told me I should do it. The first thing I said was that I wasn’t smart enough and that we were too little. After talking to Nancy for awhile she convinced me to think about it, and that day I asked my mom what she thought about the program, and she told me to try it. The next day I told Nancy I would do it if she did, so we went and got our packets from Mrs. Bening.
            The first day we came to meet all the people that were in the ACE Program, I was very nervous. I then saw Araceli and at that moment I was very happy that there was one more person that I knew.  I was also very excited to see Chely, and to have some classes with her or Nancy. That day we also got our schedule and it was a bitter sweet moment for me because I had no classes with Nancy but I had a class with Chely. I was nervous and blissful to get started with my classes.
            I’m very grateful to Nancy, Mrs. Bening, and all of the teachers involved in the program. I’m very pleased to have joined the program. Being in the program not only has given me the head start that I wanted, it will help me in the future. It has helped me grow in so many ways; it has also taught me how to be a very persistent young lady, and has given me the confidence in myself that I’m college material, and that I can do whatever I want to do if I just put all my mind and effort into it. The ACE Program is one of the best things that has happened in my life. I’m very grateful to GOD for giving me this opportunity, and also to PVCC for having an interest in our future to give us these scholarships.