For more than a decade, Park City Bright Futures students have been breaking new ground. The earliest cohorts worked relentlessly to get to college, and 30 Bright Futures students (and counting!) have shown that earning a degree is possible. Now, two Park City High School grads build on this foundation and prepare to take the program to a new height - attending college on a different continent.
This month, Kenia Ramirez and Isabel Reyna Nunez will make history as the very first Bright Futures students to pursue their entire college education overseas. On August 17th, the best friends will board a flight to Japan, move into their dorms (in the same apartment building), and start classes at Temple University in Tokyo.
Kenia Draws Her Version of Success
Kenia Ramirez is following in her mother’s footsteps - in her very own way. Years ago, her mom moved away from her family to build a life in a place where her children were safe, with access to an exceptional education and a better future. She landed in Park City.
Now, Kenia takes her own leap as she leaves her family in Park City, crosses the Pacific, and begins her art studies at Temple University in Tokyo. She’s been fascinated with Japanese culture since childhood - and has been telling her mother for years that she’d get there for college.
“I have always wanted to visit Japan. I told myself I’d go study there,” Kenia said. “When I actually got accepted, my mom and I started crying in shock. She is nervous and excited. I am nervous and excited! But, knowing the story of her sacrifice... achieving this is the least I could do for her. She’s the reason I got this far."
Kenia loves the art of manga, particularly the "slice-of-life" stories, and connects with them deeply. The treasure she finds is that universal theme - no matter where you are, shared experiences mean you’re never truly alone. Not being alone is a theme, too, within the Bright Futures and Dream Big community; Kenia said the group has become a second family.
Dream Big’s Ms. Moffatt and BF’s dedicated counselor, Ms. Elliott, helped navigate the maze of university funding, scholarship identification, and applications. Thanks to that dedicated support every step of the way, her hard work has paid off: With the scholarships Kenia has earned – a Latinos in Action Scholarship, a Back to Our Roots/1824 First Generation Scholarship, Bright Futures Scholarship, MAC Scholarship, and the TUJ Kyoto Inaugural Scholarship – her first year of college is almost entirely paid for.
Now, she heads to Tokyo and is considering a way to blend her love for manga and visual storytelling with science and engineering through the study of biomimicry. She knows that no matter where she is in the world, Bright Futures will stretch to reach her if and when the time comes.
"Bright Futures is so worth it," Kenia says. "It’s a community, a family, where you are encouraged to ask for help. You learn so much, and it helps you explain things to your own family. It’s also comforting; the thought of knowing that I’m not alone. It’s comforting knowing there are people like me, and people who can help.”
Isabel Speaks the Language of Opportunity
"This world is so big," Isabel Reyna Nunez said, "how could I not be drawn to visit every place I can?"
Forget powder flu - Isabel has always had the travel bug. She’s drawn to places with deep history - Greece. Egypt. The UK. She already speaks English and Spanish, understands some French and Portuguese, and this month, she will move across the globe to add Japanese and Korean.
"My parents never got the opportunity to present their abilities to the world," Isabel said. "I want to make them proud. Being able to say I graduated from college, that I did this, and that I can help my family with their struggles... it would feel liberating."
Translating dreams to reality was complex, but once she joined Bright Futures and Dream Big, Isabel gained a team of translators and guides, support that she matched with determination. She conquered advanced math, worked on Main Street to build savings, and graduated from PCHS with a full year of college credits through concurrent enrollment.
When her best friend Kenia discovered Temple University in Japan, she encouraged Isabel to apply. Isabel got accepted, and, thanks to Bright Futures’ guidance and her diligence, she earned a half-dozen scholarships: the 2026 Michael & Sandrina Villegas Range First Gen Hispanic College Student Scholarship, Back to Our Roots/1824 First Generation Scholarship, Sterling Scholars funding, a Bright Futures Scholarship, the Lala G. Martinez Memorial Scholarship, and a Latinos In Action Scholarship. Isabel has been able to fully fund four years of tuition with these scholarships (and a bit of financial aid). Isabel plans to major in International Affairs and Political Science, with the ultimate goal of working as a diplomat for the United Nations.
When it comes to her high school experience, Isabel has some advice for incoming first-gen students.
“Go for it! Join Bright Futures," Isabel urges. "You get experiences and memories you won’t be able to forget. I feel so grateful; I can't even express it."
As Isabel and Kenia say goodbye to their families and Park City, their courage to tackle something totally unique is sure to introduce a whole new world of opportunities for the Bright Futures community.
