Harvard by way of Mexico, Canadian

By Jon Mark Beilue

Thirty-five seniors will receive high school diplomas Saturday night at Canadian High School. Seldom has such a small group stood so tall.

There's Caleb Berry, the salutatorian. One of the top Class 1A shot putters and discus throwers in the state, Berry also carries a 4.54 GPA on a 4.50 scale and competed at the UIL state meet in four events, including calculator applications and computer science. He was recruited by Brown University in the Ivy League, but opted for Texas A&M and the Mays Business School.

Sitting at No. 3 is Kate Abraham. The oldest of eight children, she was a cornerstone in theater and band while excelling in the classroom. She will start next fall at a university that's been around awhile, Harvard.

But even their success stories come up just a tad shy - as just about anyone's would - to that of Benjamin Antillon, the valedictorian whose background and determination have led to an unlikely destination. For he, too, is going to Harvard.

"His life is the kind of stuff movies are made about," said Dr. Dean Smith, biology professor at Texas Tech.

Smith, Class of '66, is on Harvard's Schools and Scholarship Committee for West Texas and the Panhandle. One of his tasks for the last 10 years is to interview prospective students, one of the steps in the university's arduous and selective process of admittance.

About 30,000 each year apply for admittance to the country's pre-eminent university and just 1,600 are accepted. I'm not sure which is better - that Canadian's Class of 2010 would have two students bound for Harvard or that Antillon is going at all.

"Simply unbelievable," said Smith of having two from the same class of 35 to study at the university of eight U.S. presidents. "I can't imagine the odds."

Especially when Antillon could speak no English seven years ago when he arrived with his parents to the United States. His father, Benjamin, Sr., had lost his job in Mexico. The family of four traveled to Colorado seeking work.

"My dad came to the United States for a better education for his children and a better job for himself," Antillon said.

When that blue-collar job was eliminated, the Antillons came to Canadian where they had friends. Young Ben was in the seventh grade and in an English as a Second Language class.

"When he first got here, his English was terrible," Berry said. "But he wasn't afraid to ask questions and he's extremely smart obviously. And he's such a hard worker."

Fast forward five years. Antillon's dad works in a nearby oil field. His mother, Rosario, works at the Filling Station, a popular restaurant. And Antillon, whose English was rudimentary at age 13, is a partner with Berry on the UIL cross examination debate team.

"I guess I'm a fast learner," he said.

You could say that. Antillon is a Class 1A state champion in chemistry, science and physics. He helped lead Canadian to a state title in overall science. He scored 30 on his ACT and 2,290 on his SAT. He finishes his high school career with a 4.64 GPA on that 4.50 scale. If finances can be a barrier - or excuse - to learning, Antillon mocks that.

"Ben loves learning. He loves knowledge. He's not satisfied with not knowing," said Lisa Ayala, his ESL teacher in seventh grade. "He will not stop until he understands. In a lot of ways, he's a perfectionist."

Antillon's scholarship will allow him to major in either economics or mathematics. For the first time, he will leave a close-knit family of five, but it's just another barrier he'll have to break, another obstacle to clear.

"Ben has overcome so much," said Ayala, who now teaches high school Spanish. "But he's special and you just know that when you meet him. He makes you want to be a better person, a better teacher. He marches to his own beat, and it's awesome to get to watch him. But this is a victory for all of us, all of Canadian and especially for little kids who don't know the language. He is their role model."

In one of the essays he had to submit to Harvard, it was based on the book, "The Alchemist," which is the journey of a young Spanish shepherd to fulfill his dream and find his treasure in Egypt.

"It was beautifully written," Smith said, "and it was about Benjamin's dream and not knowing if he would get this opportunity in life."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1325301&forum_id=1#15119202)