Summit Parent Leonel Lara has certainly seen the impact that Summit programs have had on the lives of his daughters. He and his wife, Cecilia, have seen both Andrea, a sophomore at St. Thomas More High School, and Jazmin, a 6th grader at St. Adalbert School, grow in their academics and character since they started coming to Summit. “As parents, we feel good about bringing our daughters here, because it’s a safe environment where there are people who motivate them and want them to do better in life.”

According to Leonel, the tutors and mentors that his daughters have had have greatly impacted their lives, and thinks the tutors have no idea how much his kids look up to them. “Andrea has always been a good student, but coming to Summit has made her a better student. She’s much more organized and is getting A’s, and I think that has to do with the motivation she’s received from her tutors at Summit.”

Additionally, “Jazmin never used to like to read. Then she started coming to the Summer Olympics Program and participated in the Read-A-Thon, where she made a goal of reading over 500 pages. She started reading all the time and loved it! She even was one of the top 10 readers for the last couple of summers. Now we have to tell her to stop reading so she can do other things!”

Leonel also claims that Summit has helped his daughters start planning for their futures. Andrea is part of the High School College Bound Program and is focusing on doing well in high school so that she can attend college. Though Jazmin is only in 6th grade, she has been listening to the different career speakers that come in each week during the summer program. “These professionals motivate my kids so much that they want to join that profession. One week, a firefighter visited and Jazmin wanted to become a firefighter. The next week, a doctor came and now she wants to be a doctor!” Leonel notes that all of the motivation his kids receive really helps them think about college and their future professions, for which he is grateful.

Listen to Leonel’s full interview below: