The Inspiring Boyle Heights Teen Who Became an Award-Winning Roboticist Against the Odds

*I love stories of hope and ganas like this! Go Cynthia! VL

By Yara Simón, Remezcla

In 2015, Cynthia Erenas became one of the .002 percent of the population who landed on Dean Kamen’s prestigious dean’s list. Out of about 32,000 students, Cynthia won an award For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology’s Robotics Competition. Ten years before that, Cynthia’s family immigrated to the United States from Culiacan, Mexico – a decision an 8-year-old Cynthia protested. “I didn’t know English, I didn’t know anybody,” Erenas said on an episode of Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers. “I used to cry overnight. I used to tell my mom I didn’t want to be here. This is not where I come from.”

Adjusting to a new life in the U.S. didn’t come easy, and Cynthia’s third grade teacher made her spend time in a class among kindergarteners so that she could learn the basics of English. This could have scarred and demoralized her, but for the homesick Cynthia, the experience marked a turning point. “They helped me out a lot,” she said. “They really encouraged me and they made it seem like it was possible, and it was.”

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Fast forward a few years later to her freshmen year of high school, and Cynthia had another life-changing moment. This time it came in the form of . . . READ MORE