Meet OG Grad, Julio Cordova!
Meet Julio Cordova! Oakland Genesis’s first High School Graduate and Collegiate Soccer Player!
Julio Cordova embodies the impact Oakland Genesis seeks for students in our Academy. Julio was our only high school senior last year and became the first and currently only Oakland Genesis student to graduate high school within our program.
Julio joined Oakland Genesis three years ago, a decent student, a recreational soccer player, and a part-time worker at his father’s auto body shop after school and on weekends. He wasn’t planning on attending college, the obstacles of navigating college applications, the cost, and contacting college coaches were too great. Instead, his time playing soccer would end and he would do his best to support the family business.
Oakland Genesis guided Julio through this decision. We took him on tours of local colleges and explored academic departments he might be interested in. We helped him contact and meet college soccer coaches. We worked with his family to devise a plan that was best for Julio’s—and the family’s—future.
Julio is now enrolled in a two-year associate program at Merritt College where he is taking classes in engineering, playing college soccer surrounded by like-minded student-athletes who plan to transfer to a four-year University, and he and his family are paying nothing.
We are so impressed by Julio’s willingness to blaze a trail that his Oakland Genesis teammates are sure to follow. With 8 more Oakland Genesis seniors preparing to graduate high school this year, and many more in the years ahead, Julio’s courage and leadership are an example. He remains a weekly participant in our academic and soccer sessions, his improved study skills and professionalism benefiting everyone around him. He is a mentor and tutor to the younger Oakland Genesis student-athletes. And, he is also now an Oakland Genesis employee, working with elementary school students in our after-school program.
Julio’s matriculation from—and continued involvement in—Oakland Genesis demonstrates how a community-building program like ours can make an impact that is bigger than the sum of its parts. Graduates continue to aspire but remain as leaders and mentors. They blaze trails and report back. They challenge and encourage each other to build self-belief, take steps outside of their comfort zones, and aspire.
We are so proud of Julio and cannot wait to see what he accomplishes next. This new generation of Oakland leaders is coming of age now, and we are committed to doing our part to support their development.
Thank you for reading and for your ongoing support.
In community,
Oakland Genesis