"This Is My Story"
Members of the first class from the Duncanville High School Collegiate Academy will walk across the graduation stage with both a high school diploma and an associate degree. More than 70 students in this inaugural class studied at both Duncanville HIgh School and Mountain View College to accomplish this achievement over the past four years. They are the first cohort to achieve this milestone in the Collegiate Academy.
To give you a look inside what the Collegiate Academy offers, we have created a video series called, ‘This is My Story.’ We follow the path of four seniors who are completing their journey at Duncanville High School Collegiate Academy.
Part 1 - Robert Valdez
The first student featured in our ‘This is My Story’ series is Robert Valdez.
Robert Valdez went to State twice for Skills USA during his high school career and was a Superintendent’s Scholar. The program recognizes students in grades 8-12 who have achieved outstanding scores on college readiness assessments such as the PSAT, SAT and AP exams. Robert plans to attend the University of Texas at Arlington to study computer science. Robert received the Maverick Scholarship from UTA which provides $8,000 per semester. Robert hopes to travel the world once he completes his degree.
Part 1 Promo
Part 2 - Lesleigh Taylor
In this video, we introduce you to Lesleigh Taylor who had to start a new life in Texas after Hurricane Katrina forced her and her family out of their home in Louisiana. Lesleigh has come a long way since then and she shares how the Collegiate Academy opened doors she never thought were possible. Lesleigh Taylor has the honor of being selected as one of 300 seniors from around the country to receive The Gates Scholarship. In addition to her other awards, The Gates Scholarship will pay for the remainder of her college expenses. Lesleigh will attend Vanderbilt University where she will pursue a degree in medicine, health and society with plans to become a doctor.
Part 2 Promo
Part 3 - Hope Harper
In this video, we introduce you to Hope Harper. She is the Duncanville High School Class of 2021 Valedictorian, a track and field athlete and a member of the National Honor Society. Next fall, Hope plans to study biology at Texas A&M University where she is a recipient of the university's Century Scholarship. The award covers $5,000 per year of her college expenses.
Part 3 Promo
Part. 4 - Kaleb Berry
In Part 4 of the video series, we introduce you to Kaleb Berry who received the prestigious honor of being named an African American Scholar by the College Board National Recognition Program. Kaleb was so advanced in his college work, he actually graduated with his associate degree after his junior year but stayed on at Duncanville High School his senior year to take more AP classes and to run track. During his college application process, Kaleb was offered more than $460,000 in scholarships from the universities where he applied. He plans to continue his education at Howard University where he will study computer science.