What He Faced: Before Rey Saldaña was elected to San Antonio’s City Council to represent District 4, he was a Communities In Schools of San Antonio student.  No one in Saldaña’s family had graduated high school, let alone attended or graduated from college.  He grew up believing that higher education was out of his reach.

How CIS-SA Helped: While attending South San Antonio High School, Saldaña’s CIS Site Coordinator, Dafney Bell, encouraged him to go beyond high school.  She said, “What do you have to lose?”  Bell helped him with college applications and supported him all the way through high school when he was accepted to Stanford University.

Where He Is Now:  After receiving his Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, Saldaña continued his education.  He earned one more Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree.  He returned to San Antonio in hopes of supporting the community that had first supported him.  In 2011, he was elected to represent District 4 on the San Antonio City Council.