In North Philadelphia's 'Badlands,' a college success
Hector Ivan Colon will be the first in his family to graduate college; he got help from his family and a program that gave familes low-cost used computers
THE ODDS were against Hector Ivan Colon, who grew up in the so-called Badlands of North Philadelphia.
He had plenty to worry about living at 9th and Indiana:
"Just surviving. It was always shoot-outs and drug dealing on the corner.
"Life wasn't easy. It was stressful. I just honestly wanted to move. I really didn't have a childhood there. I was always in school or inside the house. It was never safe enough to be outside and just play."
Now 22, he has a much brighter outlook on life.
On Saturday, Colon, the fifth of six siblings, will become the first in his family to attend and complete college.
He will graduate from Millersville University with a degree in sociology, with a focus in criminal justice.
Last year, as a junior, he spent several months based in Spain, studying and traveling throughout Europe.
"Traveling the world had been one of my childhood dreams," he said. "I worked very hard to make those dreams into a reality. I hope others can see that anything is possible if you just work hard."
He hopes he can get his youngest sister, who recently finished high school, to go to college.
"College was never an option for us," Colon said. "Nobody in my family ever talked about going to college."
But he is thrilled that his younger relatives now see college as an option.
"It's pretty nice to have broken the cycle," he said. "I hear my nephews and nieces [of grade-school age] talking about going to college."
After finding work this summer, he wants to help his family and study in preparation for applying to law school.
As Colon made plans to graduate from Edison High School in 2012, he said, his parents, Hector Luiz Colon and Milagros Dejesus, had their doubts about college.
"Honestly, they didn't see how it was going to happen," he said.
After he first planned to join the military, Colon said, a high school counselor told him he had the grades to go to college. Some teachers and counselors showed him how to search for scholarships and financial aid.
Colon's path to college was also helped when his family received a low-cost refurbished computer through a program called Team Children, a nonprofit that distributes refurbished computers with educational software to low-income families for a small price.
Colon also credits his parents, teachers, and college professors for helping him keep "my head on straight" and avoid the streets.
He said his father is disabled after being injured while operating a forklift on the job. His mother worked as a baker.
"I think it was mostly the way my family raised me," he said of his success. "They taught me how to be smart, who to hang out with; and also, there were teachers who showed that they cared."
215-854-5987 @ValerieRussDN