Student Profile | Chris Bonilla

Chris Bonilla was enrolled in the Richstone Educational Enterprise Project's (REEP) inaugural class. Chris originally attended Lennox Middle School, where students rarely go on to high school. In this school, approximately 80% of the boys are gang affiliated by the eighth grade.

When Chris was in the seventh grade, he entered the REEP program, founded by Eric Eisner. Throughout that first year, Chris and Eric would meet twice a week to discuss his studies. "It helped me a lot. Eric encouraged us to be responsible and dedicated to our school work. He gave me an opportunity to discuss what I was interested beyond what was in the curriculum," said Chris.

In essence, he credits his bi-weekly meetings with Eric as an incentive to become interested in what he was learning. "Eric peaked my intellectual curiosity. We would discuss physics or pursue higher levels of math," said Chris. In offering this complexity to Chris's daily education through the school, Eric gave him a reason to excel.

In the summer between his seventh and eighth grades, Chris took part in a summer school program at Brentwood Preparatory School. So impressed with Chris's studies and his desire to excel, Brentwood accepted him as a full-time student. Chris flourished in this new learning environment. He exceeded expectations at Brentwood and became a highly dedicated student from the moment of his admission through his senior year of high school.

When Chris began to consider various college opportunities, he relied heavily on Eric's guidance and wisdom. "When the college application process was happening, Eric helped me write my application. I was originally planning to attend a college closer to home but Eric encouraged me to look at Columbia," reflected Chris.

Never having been to New York, Chris decided to attend Columbia College. He was accepted on a John Klugge Scholarship, the largest scholarship offered by the College. Throughout his years at Columbia, he continued to communicate with Eric and succeed in his studies.

This Spring, Chris graduated from Columbia College with a degree in History. He recently moved back to the Los Angeles area and is beginning to look into Law School. Thanks to REEP and Chris's enduring dedication, Chris's future is bright and full of possibilities.

"REEP impacted my life in a huge way. I don't know that I would have gone to college at all without this program," said Chris.