Spotlight

CCR's Earliest Graduates, 10 Years Later

August 18, 2026

When Angie Soto drove back to Virginia Gardens this summer for the first time in years, she had tears in her eyes before she walked through the door.

She passed the apartment building where her parents once lived. She passed her childhood bedroom. The community room had been repainted, and the parking lot was fuller than she remembered.

Standing in the classroom where her own path started, Angie was struck by all that had changed.

“It makes you think how far I got in life,” she said.

Growing up, Angie participated in Affordable Homes & Communities’ (AHC’s) education programs, even joining the College & Career Readiness (CCR) program in its first cohort.

This year, CCR marks its 10-year anniversary. Take a look back at the impact the program has had on its earliest graduates.

Growing Up at Virginia Gardens

When Angie’s mother told AHC’s Afterschool Program staff that her daughter was struggling in school, they stepped in. AHC staff attended parent-teacher conferences and built an afterschool curriculum that filled the gaps in her education.

“The initiative of a person doing that speaks high volumes,” Angie said. “I don’t see my personal school counselor going and traveling … to do that.”

Angie was four when her family moved to Virginia Gardens. Her parents had come to the United States from Bolivia, where they grew up speaking Spanish, and it was Angie’s first language too. She learned English in the elementary education classroom at Virginia Gardens, where staff helped her work on her vocabulary and reading skills.

Her parents took part in AHC programming as well, through first-time parenting workshops and English classes offered on site.

As she grew older, Angie joined AHC’s Teen Program and eventually was part of the first cohort of CCR, where she got a glimpse into what her future might hold.

“Normally kids are exposed to college tours in 11th grade or 12th grade. I started in middle school, actually. Many kids would be like, ‘Why are you going to a college tour? Go play outside.’ I was just very interested [in college].”
– Angie Soto, CCR alum

The program pushed her to build up her experience outside the classroom. So, when AHC needed help running its summer camp, she seized the opportunity.

“My actual official first job was the summer camp here for the little kids,” Angie said. “And I put that on my high school resume. Every year I would come out and build that resume up.”

More than anything, Angie remembers AHC’s financial workshops. Angie was the first in her family to attend college in the United States, and the financial aid process was new to everyone.

She remembers Milenka Coronel Samey, AHC’s Director of Education, sitting down with her family at a computer and walking them through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) line by line as Angie translated for her family.

Angie (Bottom Right) and the first CCR cohort attend the 2017 CCR graduation.

“I would’ve not known this was an option for me if it wasn’t for CCR,” she said.

CCR also put her on the path toward dual enrollment. She arrived at Old Dominion University with 26 credits already earned. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and a double minor in Information Technology and Criminal Justice. Today she is an information systems security officer at CGI Federal.

A New Pathway Opens

Angie isn’t the only early CCR graduate who went on to graduate from college and start a career. Kevin Platero was in first grade at The Apex Apartments when he started in AHC’s Afterschool Program.

Kevin kept showing up year after year, and when he reached high school, AHC staff told him about CCR, a new program they thought would suit him.

“It was a great opportunity to deep dive into what was going to happen after high school,” Kevin said.

CCR laid out pathways beyond the workforce, which Kevin hadn’t previously considered.

“One of the biggest things that helped me go for further education was the college tours …, visiting each and every one of them and seeing the opportunity that my parents envisioned for me.”
– Kevin Platero, CCR alum

Kevin and his mentor Gary side-by-side at the 2019 CCR graduation.

AHC paired Kevin with a volunteer mentor named Gary, who helped him apply to schools and scholarships and work through any obstacles that came his way.

Like Angie, Kevin recalls the financial workshops where AHC brought in bank representatives to talk with students about budgeting and saving. Kevin started doing both early on and continues today.

More than the college tours and finance workshops, Kevin remembers what CCR taught him about managing his time and his priorities.

“[CCR] has a schedule for you: ‘This is the time to play; this is your time for homework; this is the time to eat.’ That helps when your parents are working and you’re just kind of alone.”
– Kevin Platero, CCR alum

Kevin attended Northern Virginia Community College, transferred to George Mason University, and graduated in six years while taking classes part time. A job offer arrived a month before he finished, and today he works at Amazon Web Services.

Kevin (Bottom, Second from Right) and his CCR cohort attend the CCR end-of-year celebration at Gates of Ballston.

“I feel like I’m living proof that [AHC has] given a lot of opportunity to students,” Kevin said. “They also help you with accountability and to just grow as a person.”

Passing the Torch

Kevin and his now-wife Alison attend her CCR graduation.

When Kevin was a high school senior, he spread the word about the CCR program, encouraging a classmate named Alison to join.

Today, Alison and Kevin are married and have a daughter. Kevin wants their daughter to have the same opportunity he and his wife had.

“I would definitely encourage my daughter to join CCR,” he said. “Just like her mom and dad. We both got great outcomes out of it, and I believe she would too.”

In the years since graduating, Angie has become a resource for other first-generation students, including her sister. She helps them navigate many of the same barriers she once faced related to FAFSA, college applications, and campus life.

Ten years after Angie joined CCR, 50 students graduated from the program this June. Forty-seven of them are the first in their families to reach that milestone — just like Angie.

As she sat in the room where it all began, she reflected on how far both she and the CCR program had come.

“I always say I’m very, very grateful, and I give everything I can to help out. Because if it weren’t for [CCR], I wouldn’t be where I am,” she said.

Learn more about AHC’s history and how we’re celebrating 50 years of transforming lives: ahcommunities.org/50years.