In today’s day and age where our world is changing, education has taken on special importance.  This is something especially true for José Cespedes, product of Covenant House-Michigan, who has gone from homeless to the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

When I first met the 20 year old, Cespedes, I encountered a slender, very unassuming young man whose eyes shown with hope that have not yet become jaded. As I interviewed him, I came away learning that he exemplifies the African saying made famous by President Theodore Roosevelt, Speak softly, but carry a big stick.

Cespedes has been involved with Covenant House for the past two and a half years. Throughout his time there, one of the biggest things that he has worked toward is getting a high school diploma. Covenant House-Michigan is one of the few places that can offer this and not a GED.

Since I came to Covenant House, it has given me an opportunity to get my high school diploma so that I can go to college.  They also told me about scholarships, Cespedes said, as he smiled one of many times that he did, during the interview.

Besides his trademark smile, one of the other things that I picked up on was his remarkable sense of self-belief. Despite encountering teachers doubting him and losing a well-paying job at 17 years old, Cespedes never stopped believing in himself perhaps the thing that has carried him through.

I could have given up.  I don’t know where I’d be if I’d given up. My momma taught me that if you don’t believe in yourself, then who will?

He continued,  It was sad because the teachers didn’t know me. One of the teachers told me that I’d never make it to University of Michigan. She told me to be realistic and maybe go for a community college. I thought to myself, ‘Just watch, lady. Watch me prove myself.

While Cespedes’ hard academic work and good ACT scores prepared him, what ultimately helped him get his foot in the door with the University of Michigan-Dearborn was when the principal at Covenant House contacted a friend working at the UM-Dearborn admissions office. The result was Cespedes being awarded the University of Michigan-Dearborn Opportunity Scholarship that gives him a full ride for his dual major: pre-med and video game design.

“When I started the paperwork, I didn’t exactly know what scholarship I would get. I knew that I would get one though. It’s taken a lot of work, so I thought that I deserved one, he said.

In addition to Cespedes, I also was able to speak with one of his instructors, Timothy Moore, and outreach worker, Mary Grace Torres-Viramontez.  Both were able to shine some additional light, especially when it came to him shunning excessive public attention.

“José doesn’t like to hear it but I tell him that he’s a natural leader, said Moore.

He also shared a brief anecdote to further show Cespedes’ natural leadership qualities. We had just started a program at Covenant House in Southwest [Detroit]. He stayed behind to help some of his classmates.

Cespedes’ concern for others is something that came up repeatedly during the interview. He admitted that he almost missed the bus because he was escorting a female friend to the bus something that he has adopted as a duty. Moore was also able to explain this further.

“He has true manhood qualities. There’s a young lady that gets off the bus. He will stay behind and make sure that she doesn’t take the bus by herself. He believes in looking out for the other sex.

Gentleman, “doctor by day, video game designer by night,” survivor: these are all labels that could be used to describe José Cespedes. However, the ultimate label that would be best is one that he has yet created. I suspect that, before he completes his journey, he will pick up a few more. Some of the best words to summarize his story came from Cespedes, himself.

“I like helping people. This is why I’m doing the interview. I don’t like the attention. If they see that I can do it, then they’ll see that they can do it. I’d be helping them.

Covenant House-Michigan has the “last-chance” charter schools and are the only ones targeted to homeless and at-risk youth in Michigan and one of only a few in the nation that is operated through a homeless shelter.

The schools operate year-round and are tuition-free to students ages 16-22 who are able to earn a high school diploma, not a GED. For more information, go to http://www.covenanthousemi.org/.

Author: José A. Rodrí­guez
Graphics: Jerusalem Rivera