Josh Acevedo '22
When the acceptance letter from Saint John’s University arrived in his family’s mailbox three years ago, it brought both joyful smiles and a deep sense of pride.
But Josh Acevedo said it had an impact even deeper than that.
That’s because he and his family knew the good news contained inside that envelope was really a ticket to a world filled with new opportunities and adventures.
“I got the letter and opened it, but I let my mama read it first,” said the psychology major, who grew up in Houston and attended YES Prep Northside – a charter school serving students in grades 6-12 from lower-income communities.
“She started crying. I thought ‘Oh no, I didn’t get in.’ But she told me I’d been accepted. We hugged. Then we told my dad and he was so proud. My older brother was overjoyed too. He told me ‘You’re going to be the best of us.’ We told my grandparents and they cried too. It was just a great familial moment.
“Because I was the first member of my family to get the chance to go to college. And that was a really big thing.”
Originally, Acevedo said the idea of continuing his education after high school – especially at a place as far removed from Houston as SJU – was not even on his radar.
“My original plan was not to go to college,” he said. “The price just seemed like it would be too much for my family to afford. The idea was that I’d work with my dad at the (metalworking) factory (where he is a foreman) for however many years it took before I became a foreman myself.”
That changed, though, thanks to an assignment his senior year. A teacher instructed Acevedo and his classmates to apply to 10 schools and see what happened.
“I told him I wasn’t planning to go to college, but he told me to at least try three,” said Acevedo, who chose two schools in Texas, but was stuck on a third.
That’s when the school’s director of college counseling, Allison Mattingly, stepped in. She was familiar with the College of Saint Benedict, the sister school of SJU, and encouraged Acevedo to look north.
He did, and soon found himself flying into Minnesota to visit campus.
“It was in early January, but that was my choice because I really wanted to see snow,” he said laughing.
“I got here and it was love at first sight. I was able to see how nice the community was. And I enjoyed the rural setting. I’d never really experienced that before. One of the nights I was here, I looked up and saw stars in the sky. It was amazing.”
And yet, it wasn’t until he saw his financial aid package that he realized CSB/SJU could be an affordable option.
Acevedo receives the W.R. Hearst Fund Endowed Scholarship, a Benedictine Scholarship, a Saints Scholarship and a Dean’s Scholarship as well.
“Once I saw the financial aid package, I said ‘We’re doing this.’ I’m basically a ‘let’s do this’ kind of guy,” he said. “And at CSB/SJU, I saw a different path I could go down that would open a whole new set of opportunities for me.”
The 5-foot-8 Acevedo seized those opportunities with both hands. He’s been a member of the Fighting Saints Army ROTC Battalion since his sophomore year – an endeavor he credits with helping him go from weighing 99 pounds at the time of his high school graduation to 162 pounds now.
“I’ve gained a lot of confidence in ROTC,” he said. “It’s helped give me a lot more presence. I used to be a very introverted person. I’d stay in the shadows in a corner of the room. Now I try to be a leader in whatever it is I’m involved in.”
He’s also served as a member of the campus fire department, and now hopes to pursue firefighting as a career when he finishes with his military service after graduation.
“My plan is to serve my community (in Houston) as a firefighter for as long as I physically can, as well as hopefully becoming a fire investigator,” he said. “I think that’s a job my psychology degree will really help prepare me for.”
But he said none of that would be happening were it not for the generosity of donors who helped make his scholarships possible.
“If I had the chance to meet them, I’d shake their hand and say thanks for giving me the opportunity to get out of what could have been a dire situation,” he said. “Members of my family have been in gangs. I was escorted off the school bus every day by a gang member when I was younger. I could have easily been in a gang myself and ended up dead.
“So I would thank them very much with all my heart for making this possible.”
#WeAreJohnnies