For Anthony Rivera Estrada, the journey from the Antelope Valley to the Ivy League began with a single political science course at Antelope Valley College.
Now, the SOAR High School senior and AVC graduate is preparing to transfer to Dartmouth College in the fall to study government and classical studies, a milestone he describes as both humbling and empowering.
Estrada, who graduated from SOAR High School with three Associate of Arts degrees from AVC, was accepted to several universities, including Harvard University, Brown University and Columbia University. However, it was Dartmouth that captured his interest after he participated in the college’s “Dartmouth Bound” program, which gives prospective students the opportunity to explore the campus and academic life.
“Once I got accepted into the Dartmouth Bound program, it started to feel like something I could actually achieve,” he said. He added that before acceptance, he questioned whether he belonged at a top-tier college like Dartmouth.
When the day acceptance decisions from Ivy League schools were released, known as “Ivy Day,” Estrada gathered his family to open the emails together, opened Dartmouth’s email first, and received his first acceptance.
“I was overwhelmed with joy,” he said. “I’m just really excited to learn. I’m going to spend the next four years learning law and take as much in as I can from the professors.”
Originally planning to pursue mechanical engineering, Estrada shifted his academic focus after taking an introductory political science course at AVC. He said that class sparked a lasting interest in government systems and public service.
“With the freedom of not knowing what I wanted to do, combined with the freedom of taking courses at AVC, I was able to really explore,” he said.
During his time at SOAR, Anthony joined the school’s Mock Trial team and was elected by AVC students as the student trustee representative on the AVC Board of Trustees, a position he held for two years. He also became involved with local efforts by founding the Desert Dumping Taskforce and later launching Heal the Desert, an initiative aimed at curbing illegal dumping and promoting environmental care in the region.
He said his interest in SOAR stemmed from his older sister who was a graduate of the program. He attributes his aspiration to the school’s emphasis on academic flexibility and early college coursework.
“SOAR gave me the structure and flexibility I needed,” he said. “AVC gave me the resources and the room to grow.”
Looking ahead, Anthony hopes to pursue a career in law, with hopes to work in nonprofit legal services focused on immigration, personal injury and criminal defense for communities of color. His ultimate goal is to one day be elected to the U.S. Congress.
