"Twenty years ago, I graduated high school in the Fort Worth ISD. Reflecting over my career path since then, I would like to share my gratitude with you, along with some insights into what experiences from my past have been valuable so many years later.

Growing up, my family’s financial resources were limited. The educational resources available to me, my younger brother, and many of my friends were those supported by the public school system. Perhaps not fully appreciated at the time (but certainly appreciated now) was just how challenging and rigorous the public education system - available for free - was for students pursuing the challenge within the FWISD. Back then, I was enrolled in a science and engineering focused program at Dunbar High School. With advanced classes in science and math, I earned a foundation that would serve me well as a college student at UC-Berkeley. Under the guidance of the wonderful faculty at Dunbar High School’s HSEP program, I completed a physics project that won 1st place at the Texas state science fair! These accomplishments happened 20 years ago, but how they set me up for the road ahead is what fascinates me and still instills a deep appreciation.

In college, I had a head start in the challenging premedical courses that many college students struggle with. Concepts in physics, calculus and statistics were engrained in my young mind because of the wonderful teachers that taught in your schools. Outside the classroom, I worked on neuroscience research, again aided by the physics project I did in high school. It was completely obvious to me at the time that engaging in research helps one digest and understand material in a more comprehensive way. I have since gone to medical school, completed a residency program in anesthesiology, completed a fellowship program at Stanford University, and now practice medicine in California. I sincerely believe that the seed of my success was the solid foundation in science and math I received at your high school.

Looking to the future, I hope that the same public education resources that helped me achieve so much will serve many more students. I was delighted to learn recently about the Advanced Academic Immersion program offered by your school district. The skills that young students learn by experiencing the inextricable entanglement of advanced math with the sciences are wonderful (and now essential) stepping stones for college and beyond. Calculus-based statistics and chemistry are the concepts that highly- skilled employees will use in the future. The additional opportunities that are now available to students via this program are even greater than those offered while I was at Dunbar High School! By fostering these programs, we can help students achieve great things beyond high school. In fact, I feel that exposing students to these concepts early is a great service to our nation.

It’s my sincere hope that, by reading this letter, you feel a sense of pride. My accomplishments over the past 20 years had a humble origin in the FWISD. Please continue supporting and growing the advanced science and math programs you currently offer. I am certain that by doing so, you will receive many more letter like this, from students who accomplish great things beyond our imagination."