Kyle’s Path to Duke University: How College Application Support Turned Uncertainty Into Confidence 

The college application process can feel overwhelming to navigate, especially for first-generation students without a roadmap. 

Two years ago, Kyle was a high school youth who came into Apex’s college and career success program feeling lost in the college application process. 

Today, Kyle is an incoming freshman at Duke University, where he plans to study chemistry.

Through Apex for Youth’s College and Career Success Program, Kyle received the college application support, mentorship, and community he needed to turn uncertainty into opportunity.

From Feeling Lost to Defining His Own Path

“At the start of Apex, I felt really lost in the college application process and sought guidance in practically everything, from building a college list to drafting essays,” he says. 

With the support of mentors like Hersh, Jia Ming, and Phung, his uncertainty quickly turned into confidence. His mentors helped him refine his essays, prepare for interviews, explore career possibilities, and approach the college process with greater clarity.

For Kyle, mentorship was not just about getting into college. It was about having people who believed in his potential and helped him see possibilities for his future.

Today, Kyle is heading to Duke University to study chemistry, a path inspired in part by Hersh, who shared his own experiences studying chemistry and pursuing a career in medicine.

A Milestone Year in the Making

Every year, Apex for Youth awards scholarships to high school and college youth. For Kyle, winning the Apex College Success Scholarship and graduating from high school carry a significance that reaches far beyond his formal education. 

Kyle’s parents immigrated to the United States and left high school early to work and support their family.  “Winning the Apex’s College Success Scholarship and graduating from high school are a testament to my parents’ 17 years of support,” he says. 

The scholarship will help ease the financial burden of college and support Kyle as he continues exploring new opportunities, including study abroad.

A Community to Rely On

When asked about a mentor who affected his life, Kyle doesn’t hesitate to give Hersh well-deserved praise and admiration. “I’ve always thought of Hersh as more than a mentor since he was the best role model and teacher that I could ever ask for,” he says. 

Hersh is on track to become a physician–scientist— Kyle’s dream career. 

Hersh supported Kyle academically, whether helping him understand challenging chemistry concepts, proofreading college essays, or preparing for important conversations. But their relationship extended beyond academics.

Sometimes mentorship looked like staying late to work through problems. Other times, it looked like grabbing chicken buns together in Chinatown.

Apex gave Kyle the support and guidance that school alone couldn’t teach. “Apex taught me that I had a community of adults that I could easily rely on,” he says. “The help that the mentors provide, such as a last-minute mock interview request, is a valuable tool that I would have never gotten from school itself.”

Seeing Success Differently

Through his experience at Apex, Kyle’s definition of success has evolved. 

“Growing up, success was rigidly defined as good grades in school, having a stable career, and living a cookie-cutter life,” he says. 

Now, he sees it differently — success is celebrating the small wins along the way, whether it’s creating a college list or staying productive. “An example of a success in my life is that I know that I have grown positively — whether it’s feeling more confident or finding dependable mentors — after two years at Apex.”

Building Agency Through Community

Kyle describes agency as something built with others, not achieved alone.

 “Agency means being able to act independently,” he says. “However, it is not expected that we know how to act independently from the get-go.”

He believes agency develops through the people who guide us—friends, family, and mentors—who help us learn to navigate challenges before we step forward independently.  

This belief is at the heart of Apex’s work: young people thrive when they have access to a web of support (people, resources, opportunities) that helps them realize their potential.

Finding a Career Path in Medicine

Beyond college applications, Apex also helped Kyle explore possible career paths.

Apex also helped Kyle pinpoint his career within medicine. Through Apex’s career panel, he learned about work-life balance and salaries for roles such as physician assistants and radiation oncologists. These conversations helped him better understand different pathways and consider what kind of future he wanted to build. His mentor’s own path as an MD-PhD student continues to shape how Kyle thinks about his future.

A New Beginning at Duke University

Before beginning his college journey, Kyle celebrated this milestone alongside other Apex youth at a graduation and scholarship celebration at COTE, a Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse.

For him, the COTE celebration marked both an ending and a beginning. “The COTE event celebrated the end of many things, such as high school and the Apex College Access Program,” he says. “At the same time, it celebrated the start of new beginnings: college, new friends, and being an alumnus at Apex.”

Empowering the Next Generation

Kyle’s story is an example of potential unlocked when young people have access to consistent support, mentorship, and opportunities.

Apex for Youth’s College and Career Success Program helps students navigate college applications, explore career pathways, connect with mentors, and build the confidence to pursue their goals.

Learn more about Apex’s high school programs and how we support Asian American, low-income immigrant youth on their journey:https://apexforyouth.org/high-school-programs/