June 5, 2023

Amalea Sanabria had plenty to celebrate as she walked across the stage at Fairview High School’s commencement ceremony on May 23.

This graduate from the Class of 2023 will receive her high school diploma and be more than halfway done with college. Even more impressive is that her final two years at college will be paid in full, thanks to earning a generous scholarship from Cleveland State University.

Amalea’s story began four years ago as she prepared to transition from Mayer Middle School to FHS. After learning about Ohio’s College Credit Plus program from school officials, Sanabria decided that she would take advantage of the free program and take college classes while in high school.

Then, on her own, she began studying for the ACT test so that she could apply to Cleveland State, to which she was accepted beginning in her ninth-grade year.

“My parents were supportive, but they told me I had to do this on my own,” Sanabria expressed. “This is like becoming an adult and you have to take on your own responsibilities. Other people specifically said I wouldn’t succeed at that young of an age. So it’s just really great to see how well it worked out now.”

Sanabria described her first few days on CSU’s campus as a 14-year-old as “super intimidating” with everyone looking “so big.”

“After the first few weeks, I started to realize that things were going to be okay,” Sanabria stated. “Everyone was pretty chill. I think I understood I could do the academics that [other students]  were doing, and it didn’t matter how old I was. It just mattered the work you put into stuff.”

Initially, Sanabria’s focus was on engineering. However, over the last four years, she realized that she wanted to study business finance, a major she is currently pursuing. At this point, Sanabria is more than halfway done with her bachelor’s degree at CSU.

“I have always had this philosophy or view that school comes first before hanging out with people or doing different things,” Sanabria said. “It was difficult that first year especially. It was a different level and people didn’t understand that I had to study for midterms or complete a paper.

“I think it paid off in the end. I quickly caught on to the fact that if you do your work and put that effort in, you’re going to get the grade you want, which is good.”

Sanabria’s hard work paid off earlier this year, as she was awarded the Glasscock Scholars Experience Program through CSU’s Ahuja College of Business. The scholarship provides full-paid tuition for the fall and spring semesters. In addition, the scholarship covers costs for books, on-campus living, and food meal plans. Finally, students are provided with a special college advisor and invitations to exclusive events.

Being awarded the Glasscock scholarship and telling her family was a proud moment for Amalea.

“It was really crazy,” Sanabria explained.  “There were tears of happiness. It was just being so thankful for everything that we’ve gone through. It was really a nice validation for everything that happened.”

Another full-length article could be written about Sanabria’s interests outside of college. The shortlist includes theatre, ballet, archery, glass blowing, crafting, and enjoying time with her French bulldog, Bella. She was also involved with cross country and the National Honor Society at FHS. She earned a Summa Cum Laude designation at her high school graduation, finishing with a grade point average over 4.0.

Sanabria admitted she is unsure about the next steps after CSU’s graduation in two years but knows she just wants to make a positive impact at home or elsewhere.

“You just have to stay true to yourself and know that you can really do anything,” Sanabria said. “People might not be able to see the different things you can see or the opportunities you can take on. To be irreplaceable, you have to be different in that way.”