Several local high school graduates are pursuing higher learning. Morton High School District 201 reports 84 percent of its graduates will attend a college, university, or trade school this coming fall, according to data collected in the 2015–16 academic year. Best of all, several of Morton’s recent graduates are starting their college career without the financial burden. More than $20 million in scholarships were offered to Morton seniors going to college next year. Cicero resident Abigail Galvez was one of those seniors. The Morton East class of ’16 graduate was in disbelief when she was awarded a four-year Posse Scholarship to study biology at Cornell University. “I’m so happy that my family won’t have to provide any financial support, and instead, they get to support me emotionally,” said Galvez about receiving the good news. She credits Morton’s Advanced Placement (AP) program for acquiring the skills needed to accelerate her scholarship search. “Being a part of extracurricular activities and feeling successful as an AP student has helped me in so many ways,” she explained. “I’m able to express myself effectively and creatively, not to mention the AP program has helped me with my time management skills.”

According to three years of AP data analysis, the number of Morton students enrolled in AP courses has gone up by 98 percent since 2011. Furthermore, there’s been a 68 percent increase in the percentage of students scoring high enough to earn college credit. “We’re very proud of our students and staff,” said the Morton Board of Education President Jeff Pesek. “District leadership will continue to work hard to ensure that every student continues to succeed.” A Morton East ’15 Morton alumnus also helped Galvez get ahead. Oscar Barraza, a 2014–15 Posse Scholarship recipient, nominated the aspiring medical student for the scholarship. “I was very eager to network with him to pick his brain about college,” she added. “Mustangs helping Mustangs, that’s what Morton is about.” Galvez isn’t the only ’16 Morton alumnus joining an Ivy League University. Some of the nation’s best universities sought after Morton’s brightest students, including her friend Kacia Huynh, who was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania. The school district reported recent graduates enrolled in a total of 99 colleges or universities located in the U.S., Canada, Mexico City, Hawaii and the U.K. Other universities where students will study this fall are Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, Dartmouth College, and Yale University.