DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - Two South Florida students who were in the running for an educational scholarship from Amazon were surprised lo learn they won.
Broward County high school seniors Christopher Raphael and Ervin Cruz thought they were invited to an event to record a video as part of the competition. But it turned out that they had already secured the win.
“You guys are the proud recipients of $40,000 that are gonna go towards your college education,” said an Amazon representative.
Both students worked very hard to win the scholarship, which will get them a much-needed financial assistance that will help them engineer their future.
Now, these bright minds have a bright future ahead with an express ticket to college.
“I’ve worked extremely hard,” said Christopher. “I showed dedication within my classroom, I’ve been doing community service for many years. I feel like I really deserve this.”
With the help from Amazon, both students are on their way to becoming computer science professionals.
Both are star students at McFatter Technical High School and Sheridan Technician High School. They said they were both accepted into Ivy League schools.
“My hope is to hopefully work for Amazon after the internship,” said Christopher.
The teens signed up to be the next recipients of the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship.
When they received an event invite, they thought it was for an interview to choose the winner, but it was all a setup.
“So, I walked in, and I was thinking that it was going to be an interview, right? I walk in and I’m expecting, ‘All right, so I’m going to be interviewed. I’m going to be asked about my career choice and what I want to do and things like that,’ and then it ended up not happening. Yeah,” said Cruz.
The two winners can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their hard work and years of studying has paid off.
“When I first opened the box, I thought maybe it was a mistake that they gave this box to me,” said Cruz. “I thought maybe this was for whoever was selected to be given afterward, and I thought the boxes got mixed up. And then I went, ‘Wait,’ and I saw everyone else’s expression in the room, and that’s when I realized it wasn’t a mistake.”
The teens’ parents were just as surprised when they found out that their children won the scholarship.
“When they send him the email from school, he was like, ‘Oh, Mommy, that could be it,’ and I was like ‘Oh, yes. That could be it,'” said Fernande Raphael, Christopher’s mother.
The teens thanked their parents for their support throughout the scholarship process.
“I also want to say thank you to my mom and sister. You guys have supported me along the way and have been there through every step, all the good and the bad, so thank you,” said Cruz.
7News cameras captured the parents hugging their kids as they celebrated their big achievement.
“I’m so proud. I don’t have words to say because he’s been working so diligently and so hard, through everything in classes, and I don’t have nothing else to say but that I’m so proud of my son,” said Fernande.
The parents said they are excited for what’s waiting ahead, as they know it would not have been possible without this well-deserved help.
“I’m so glad. You know how I feel? I know you worked very hard for this. The only thing I need to say is, ‘I love you, I love you,'” said Monica Doleo, Cruz’s mother.
Both students have been accepted for a paid internship at Amazon. The students hope they can get hired once their internships end.
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