Ex-Roosevelt High Standout Stresses Studying, Hard Work

Alfred Fraijo, Harvard University freshman, is still the pride of Boyle Heights.

A year ago, Fraijo was a stellar senior at Roosevelt High.

On Thursday, Fraijo, who is majoring in government at Harvard with an emphasis on international relations, was back in Los Angeles telling high school seniors about how life changes.

Dressed sharply in a navy blue suit, Fraijo recited the words from an ancient Chinese proverb.

“ ‘When you drink the water, never forget the spring,’ ” Fraijo said. “You must never lose sight of all the people who have in some way contributed to your success.”

Fraijo, now 19, flew in from Boston to speak to 10 Los Angeles County high school students who received $5,000 scholarships as part of the MCI International Scholar Awards Program, the same scholarship Fraijo won last year.

“This award is pretty awesome,” said recipient Jacob Lee of Arcadia High School, who is fluent in English and Korean. “I want to use my language skills to build a bridge between two communities.”

The program recognizes graduating bilingual public high school seniors in Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

The award is based on academic performance, personal essays and fluency in two or more languages.

Fraijo is bilingual in English and Spanish and conversational in Japanese.

“I would like to be [an] ambassador some day,” he said. “I would like to represent the United States in another country. This is a dream, I know. The reality is that I am here and that I have set goals for myself.”

He said part of his determination comes from a strong cultural conscience he has shaped growing up in Los Angeles.

“I grew up in a very diverse community,” he said. “You can’t truly appreciate your own culture without appreciating that of another. That is something I have always maintained.”

While attending high school, in addition to serving as student body president, he competed for the cross-country, tennis and track teams and was a member of the L.A. Neighborhood Initiative.

The Chinese proverb he quoted “is also a decree to create in your future undertakings a sense of responsibility for all that played a supportive role in your accomplishments,” he said.

“Education is an investment,” he said. “The amount of sacrifices you make now will determine the measure of your benefits in the future.”