West Palm Beach student overcomes obstacles, will be heading to Harvard
by Lena Salzbank
Tuesday, May 10th 2022
An Inlet Grove Community High School student is headed to Harvard, and it sure wasn't easy.
Gabriel Gerig says that on December 16 of last year, all of his hard work paid off. That's when he opened his college acceptance letter in front of his family and read that he was invited to attend Harvard University.
"My dad started to screen and cry like a baby," Gerig said. "It was just amazing to see all of your hard work, all the late-night studying, working, and playing sports pay off."
Tough times are finished for one Palm Beach County teen, Lena Salzbank reports, May 10, 2022. (WPEC)
The journey wasn't an easy one, but his acceptance to Harvard was not only proof of his dedication to his education, but proof of his family's sacrifice.
"At the beginning, it was very difficult. We were all living in a small bedroom. My dad was the only one working and making minimum wage," Gerig said.
Gabriel and his family left Venezuela on a tourist visa in 2017 to escape the country's violence.
"My neighbor was kidnapped and a lot of other situations, like food scarcity. There are not a lot of opportunities there," Gerig said.
The teen was tops in his class in Venezuela but faced language barriers when he was thrust into the Palm Beach County school system.
When Gabriel entered high school, he found the “Path to College,” a program that helps clear a path for overlooked students.
"We provide kids with expert SAT tutoring and one-on-one mentoring," said Christina Romeuls, director of programs at Path to College. "Just overall guidance to help them overcome the obstacle of going to college."
Gabriel will be attending Harvard in the fall and he plans to focus on economics and neuroscience.
