Wish Book: Program helped teen build confidence and courage

On the first day of a monthlong backpack trip into the rugged Wind River Range, Diego Giovanni Zamora thought he was going to die. The altitude, the chilly nights and the rough terrain amid Wyoming’s tallest peaks all surprised the novice backpacker, then 16.

How would he survive 110 miles with people he didn’t even know? Somewhere along the way, he realized he could do it. He braved lightning, mosquitoes, aching feet — and carried a 60-pound backpack up thousands of feet.

That epiphany became a life lesson for the Redwood City teen, who was on the trip through Summer Search Silicon Valley, a program that propels low-income youths to college and beyond through transformational summer experiences that develop courage, strength and confidence. Summer Search also provides trained mentors and counseling that shepherd students through high school and college.

Operating in seven U.S. cities, Summer Search says 99 percent of its students graduate high school, and 77 percent are on track to graduate college. It credits part of its success to carefully selecting its students, boosting their tenacity and offering guidance for up to nine years.

Born in Palo Alto, Diego moved as a toddler with his mother and stepfather to Mexico. As a child in Culiacán, Sinaloa, his most adventuresome vision was to someday join the Marines. His mother had other plans. When he was 11, she sent Diego back to the Bay Area for a better education. He moved in with his aunt’s family in Redwood City.

“The first two months, I cried the whole time,” missing his family and home, he said. Sixth-grade classmates teased him for not knowing English, which made him afraid to speak. But Diego gradually realized the sense of his mother’s purpose. How would he make his family’s sacrifice worthwhile if he didn’t do well in school? He applied himself to his studies, becoming nearly fluent in English in two years.

At Sequoia High School in Redwood City, “even as a freshman, he was very mature,” English teacher Jane Slater said. And he struck that balance that is often so hard for teens to find.

“He was playful and fun, but he always did his work,” Slater said, “He stood out as a kid determined to succeed.”

She nominated Diego for Summer Search. He was among the fewer than 6 percent of nominees chosen.

“We look for students who are self-motivated, with leadership qualities, who want to grow, reflect on their past experiences and learn more about themselves,” said Jenny Uribe, Diego’s mentor at Summer Search Silicon Valley.

What struck program administrators the most about him was his resiliency.

Program founder Linda Mornell, whose children had gained confidence and strength with summer wilderness trips, wanted to offer poor children the same experiences — as well as support in entering and finishing college. Summer Search starts after sophomore year with a trip like the one Diego took.

It quickly became about conquering much more than physical challenges. Diego also made it past his fears that the other, more privileged kids would ridicule his English, his ideas and his inexperience. By the end of the trip, he emerged as a leader.

Much of the trip traversed trailless terrain, and toward the end students traveled in small groups without their adult advisers. Atop 11,600-foot Angel Pass, reached after a 3,000-foot climb, “You see the view. You say, ‘I made it, I’m so proud of myself,’ ” said Diego, now 17 and a senior at Sequoia High.

After their junior year, Summer Search students may spend several weeks on a college campus or in a developing nation. Diego went to Cuzco, Peru, where he helped build a greenhouse to provide residents with a more stable supply of vegetables.

The Andean poverty shocked him. Children were peddling wares on the street. And, he said, “people barely have enough to eat.”

He underwent another shock, from witnessing heart-wrenching poverty to returning home to see “people having fun and not worrying about anything.” More than that, he realized, “a lot of people think they don’t have everything, but they do. They don’t appreciate what they have — because they don’t see what people don’t have.”

Always set on helping his family — his mom in Sinaloa is a community health advocate, and his stepdad is a caretaker at a botanical garden — Diego resolved to do something to benefit others as well. He works part time and helps with his cousin’s young children. A good student, Diego is focused on college applications, and hoping for admission and financial aid to attend a state or even private university in Southern California.

Wish Book readers can help Summer Search serve more students like Diego. A $100 donation would provide materials for a college workshop for families and students; $500 would provide equipment for two students’ wilderness trips; $1,000 would provide a student with personal college counseling.

“I’m basically a stronger individual who dreams big in life,” he said. “I want to be able to help poor people and homeless people — and kids without parents.”

Comments about Wish Book stories? Email [email protected] or call coordinator Leigh Poitinger at 408-920-5972. “Like” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mercurynews.wishbook.