The first class of Berkeley Academy is headed to college. 

The free program, launched by Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, starts in 7th grade and helps students from low-income families achieve their dream of going to college. Many of the students are the first in their families to do so. As part of the program, students are mentored on the weekends and over the summer breaks.

Neftalí Gomez and Edgar Murillo, from Wimauma, were part of the inaugural class at Berkeley Academy. And they shared the same goal.

“To make it to college,” said Gomez. “Pretty much to make it to college.”

Thanks in part to the Berkeley Academy program, Gomez and Murillo both received full scholarships to college. Gomez will attend Middlebury College to study neuroscience in Vermont. Murilllo will go to Tufts University to study computer science in Boston. 

Murillo, who graduated salutatorian from Leonard High School, said that being a part of Berkeley Academy helped boost his confidence and made him feel important.

“I mean just doing this [interview] now, I don’t think a lot of people from my community would ever think we would be on the news for studying,” said Murillo. “You graduate, you go to high school or maybe you don’t go to high school and you just go to work. So this is just different, and it’s important to us.”

Berkeley Academy has a partnership with RCMA. They work to identify students at its K-8 Wimauma Community Academy who have a desire to go to college. RCMA provides transportation to get students from Wimauma to Tampa for the program. Berkeley Academy works with Hillsborough County Public Schools to identify students for the program as well.