She plans to take law at a renowned university.
A Texan young girl is one step closer to her dreams after being accepted to Harvard University in the fall.
Aurora Sky Castner is now making a name for herself after graduating high school at the top of her class.
Castner was born in the Galveston County Jail.
She was taken from the facility by her father, who raised her as a single dad.
The mother was still in jail while Castner was growing up and sadly has not played a role in her daughter’s life.
Eighteen years later, Castner graduated third in her class at Conroe High School, as reported by local news.
She intends to study law and aims to graduate by 2027 as a degree holder.
According to a local news outlet, Castner opened her application essay to Harvard with, “I was born in prison.”
Such a solid and inspirational intro for Harvard applicants.
She was then accepted into the Ivy League via early action.
The Ivy League schools are viewed as the most elite schools in the World, including Harvard University.
Castner is targeting to start attending Harvard by the fall of 2023.
When she was at an early age, Castner moved from one place to another with her dad.
Though they mostly stayed in Montgomery County.
When she attended elementary school, the school’s staff members saw potential in her.
They felt she could be guided properly with the help of a mentorship program.
The Project Mentor program comes from Conroe Independent School District’s initiative to partner community members with students in fostering and honing meaningful relationships.
This aims to promote positive youth development and aid them in navigating through school and life.
In an interview, Mona Hamby, Castner’s mentor, said, “I was given a paper about her. Her hero was Rosa Parks, her favorite food was tacos from Dairy Queen and she loved to read. I thought this sounds like a bright little girl. I still have that paper today.”
Castner also shared with Hamby her parenting ordeal.
This prompted the mentor to guide her more, not just in school activities but in personal moments as well.
Hamby lends a hand to Castner with things like going into salons for a haircut. Other community leaders also helped Castner to enjoy essential events that the regular youth experience, such as summer camp.
“It was a very different environment than I grew up in, and that’s not a bad thing,” Castner said.
“Everything that Mona taught me was very valuable in the same way that everything that I went through before Mona was very valuable,” she further added.
She is now laser-focused!
Castner solidified her decision to aim for Harvard after she toured the campus.
Hamby and her husband, Randy, joined Castner during the tour in March 2022. “After that trip, I saw her love for the school intensify,” Hamby shared.
Castner has also relied on James Wallace, a professor at Boston University, who helped her with the Harvard application.
Learn more about this inspirational story in this short video.
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