It’s that time of year when soon-to-be college freshmen are preparing for the upcoming fall semester, choosing their classes and purchasing textbooks or, in the case of Esther Saintil, making the long trip to a brand-new state.
Saintil’s journey to Yale University, the private Ivy League where she moved in Saturday, began in 2012 when she arrived in Miami-Dade County from Haiti, not yet able to speak English.
Her father would drop her and her sister Monique off at Florida City Elementary School at 5 a.m. on his way to work. With hours to go before classes started, a school librarian would let the girls pass their time in the library.
The librarian would read with the sisters to help them learn English, pointing out which books would teach them best.
Saintil described the library as her safe space.
“That's where I fell in love with reading,” she said. “That’s where I learned that education could be more than a way to survive. It could be the path to something greater.”
Esther Saintil (right) participating in Sports Day at Branches, pictured alongside a Branches mentor.
Branches
It was also in elementary school where she learned from a friend about Branches, a nonprofit in Miami-Dade that serves low-income youth and families. The organization, funded by The Children’s Trust, provides tutoring, SAT prep, and FAFSA guidance.
The sisters quickly applied and, after first being told there wasn’t any space left, wrote a letter pleading their case. They decorated the letter with polka dots.
The crafty design seemed to do the trick, and the sisters started their journey with the Branches program the summer before attending Homestead Middle School.
Saintil cited Branches Senior Vice President Kim Torres as one of her mentors. She explained that, since her family was not financially stable, Torres connected her with school materials like books and book bags. “So that's one thing I'm really grateful for,” Saintil said. “She was always there. We knew we could always call her.”
Torres recalls her early encounters with Saintil.
“Esther was always a very bright child,” she said. “She came from Haiti, not speaking English, but she just really had a desire to learn and grow, and knew what it felt like not to fit in or not understand the language, and she worked really hard.”
Esther Saintil celebrates her graduation day from school with Branches mentor Judith McNeil and her friends.
In addition to Torres, Saintil is grateful for the dedication of Branches mentors Judith McNeil and Bervely Joseph.
“Miss Judith was kind of a mother figure to me and my sister, who grew up without a mother in our home,” Saintil said. “So I'm really grateful to her as well.”
After graduating from middle school, Saintil attended Coral Reef Senior High School, where she earned straight A’s and logged 1,000 hours of community service.
During this time she also returned to Branches as an employee and volunteer. She found herself going full circle by tutoring kids who struggled with reading and acting as a mentor.
Torres said she knew Branches could help Saintil find opportunities where she would grow and maximize her potential.
Students, including Esther Saintil (center, in group), visit Yale University during a college tour.
“We work with kids in elementary, middle and high school, and the goal is that when they graduate from high school that they have a plan, whether it's to go to college or vocational school or whatever,” Torres said. “But they graduate with a plan, and then we help them achieve their dreams.”
The journey to Yale
A 90-minute bus ride from her home in Homestead to Coral Reef limited her time for school activities, but she still managed to be a member of the Book Club, the National Honor Society and the Black Student Union. Her commute shortened to 40 minutes on the days that she caught a ride with McNeil.
In fact, it was McNeil’s daughter—who had gone to Coral Reef High School and then Yale—who inspired Saintil to follow the same path.
What else drew her to Yale? Well, Saintil had explored her options. During the summer before her senior year, she stayed four weeks at Princeton University and one week at Yale. She had also applied to several other schools.
“I guess I fell in love with the community,” Saintil said, “At Yale, it was really community-oriented, and that's something I really wanted in my college experience, because that's something that helped me throughout life. Growing up, my community was a big part of my life.”
Esther Saintil participates in "Senior Jeans and Crowns" at Branches, marking the first day of her senior year. The event took place after school as part of the weekly "Friday Night at Branches."
Saintil received help from Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA), a national nonprofit that provides first-generation students from low-income backgrounds with access to college enrollment.
She also was awarded the Climb Higher Scholarship, offered by Branches, to help fund her college journey.
Torres stressed how seemingly simple hurdles can get in the way of students pursuing higher education.
“There's always obstacles in the way,” she said. “There's always challenges, and it's so easy to quit, it's so easy not to persist, because it's just hard. And I think over and over again, our team will walk with people doing those default things so they can take that next step to reach their dreams or have those opportunities.”
Now, Saintil said she’s getting a full-ride scholarship to Yale, where she hopes to double major in political science and psychology. She holds ambitions of ultimately going to law school and becoming a criminal defense attorney.
Saintil’s sister Monique has also found success in her own journey, which has led her to the University of North Florida.
Advice for future generations
Torres encourages students to keep going to achieve their goals, despite whatever obstacles may arise.
“These things happen all the time. Maybe there's there's mistakes, there's challenges, but you also need someone to give that guidance, someone that will help you walk through the process to make things right. We've seen how that works in the life of Esther, and we work at it in the life of all of our students in different ways,” she said.
Saintil was recently invited to speak at the graduation ceremony at Homestead Middle School. She had some good advice for the students.
“You don't need to be the fastest learner, the best test-taker or the most outgoing person in the room,” Saintil said. “What you do need is a strong work ethic, the courage to ask for help, and the belief that where you come from does not determine where you're going.”