The stands were silent. Teachers, parents, and students were sat with baited breath wondering who it would be.
“The 2024 recipient of the Harvard Book Award is… Isabel Ocampo!”
The gym floor rumbled with excitement and applause—but if someone were to look around, they would hardly see any surprise on the faces of those in attendance. Indeed, Isabel Ocampo has been a shoe-in for success even before the fateful day that she won the prestigious Harvard Book Award. One year later, she intends to stay local with her success a as she attends Pomona College with an intent to major in Math.
With a meager acceptance rate of 7%, Pomona College is one the most selective colleges in the entire country. But with Isabel’s repertoire, it isn’t hard to see why she was admitted; on top of consistently holding a class rank in the Top Ten of the class of 2025, she held an internship position at a molecular biology lab at the Claremont Colleges during her 11th and 12th grade years. On top of her smarts, though, her service work equally stands out. In particular, Isabel was this year’s Vice President for Claremont High School’s Spanish Honors Society, a position that has demanded hours of leading and community service from her. With so much skill demonstrated on and off campus, Ocampo has proven that she is ready for Pomona.
But is Pomona ready for her? After all, Isabel has demonstrated a notable interest in many of the programs that Pomona offers, and to say that she will take full advantage of them is an understatement.
“They offer a lot of academic support in foreign languages as well as in English language arts,” said Ocampo. “As a student at Pomona, I can also take classes at the other colleges there like Harvey Mudd, and they have a 8:1 student to faculty ratio.”
Clearly, Isabel has used her time at CHS to the fullest, becoming incredibly decorated in the academic and extracurricular aspects of her life. But through it all, she has maintained a firm belief that no achievement is worth sacrificing her bond with her friends, family, and self. Fittingly, her advice for underclassmen and incoming students is simple yet effective.
“Your health and wellbeing should take higher priority over school,” said Ocampo.
After all, she has certainly put a lot of priority on building meaningful connections at this school with some of her shout-outs; namely, Mr. Casas, Dr. Arboleda, Matthew Clark and Ziamara Fountain Rife. But beyond just them, the entirety of CHS appreciates the hours that Ocampo has put in to study and serve, and they all know she will keep that spirit wherever she goes.
