COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado Springs School District 11 high school seniors graduated Tuesday. It's the first graduating class to walk at the Ed Robson Arena at Colorado College.
Stellan Rogers is one of 300 Coronado graduates, but he's walking out with his high school diploma and a full ride to Yale.
"[Yale] was pretty much my dream, I just could not be more proud of myself," said Rogers.
Rogers said he earned more than 60 credits through Pikes Peak State College.
"[He is] truly a standout student, don't know we've seen very many students with at Coronado with this many credits," said counselor Cody Eden.
Rogers said he had long study nights while balancing sports and social life, but he said it was all worth it.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so happy, I think the financial aid barrier of going to college in the U.S. is so heavy, that I not only get to go to Yale, but I get to go for essentially free, is essentially mind-boggling to me," said Rogers.
Attending Yale costs about $90,000 a year, according to its website.
"I can't imagine paying that, it's tough, some people do it, some people you know have had savings accounts that their parents have been investing in since before they were born, I didn't have that," said Rogers.
Eden said Rogers' concurrent enrollment earned him a 4.6 GPA, one of the highest he has seen in seven years at Coronado.
Eden explained taking college classes is graded on a 5-point scale, "so that's how they get the bumped GPA in those college-level courses and really stands out for universities."
Rogers considered other Ivy League schools like Harvard and Princeton. He thanks his teachers and counselors for supporting him every step of the way.
"All they wanted to do was see me succeed and I don't know, just makes me realize how grateful I am to be at this school.'
Rogers said he plans to study politics or economics at Yale and then head to law school.
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Rocky Ford Melons are on the way
Rocky Ford farmers have been making their way from the farm to a grocery store near you. Tag along for the harvest and see what the process is like that is a staple of the Lower Arkansas River Valley.
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