'There's a duality in me': Meet East Hall's Diego Gonzalez, a first-generation dual enrollment student with a competitive edge

Apr. 7—Diego Gonzalez isn't your typical star student.

Yes, he's near the top of his graduating class. Yes, he's been accepted into Georgia Tech with plans of becoming a chemical engineer. Yes, he's taken so many dual enrollment courses that he may well be a sophomore by the time he enters college.

But he also isn't afraid to throw on the gloves from time to time, if only for a friendly sparring match with his pals — or a slightly less friendly match with someone who wants to test his mettle.

"It's just the competition," said Gonzalez, a senior at East Hall High. "That's probably why I like it."

"It's a little different because I'm also in band," he said. "I guess there's a duality in me."

Gonzalez credits his Mexican heritage for his competitive spirit. His favorite boxer is, naturally enough, Canelo Alvarez.

"There's pride in everybody in whatever they do," he said of growing up in a tightly knit Mexican household. "It brews, basically, a competitive nature in the family."

The son of Mexican immigrants of humble means, he said his parents are adamant about the benefits of getting a good education.

"They didn't have much," he said. "My dad was from a ranch in Mexico. He didn't have much. All they would eat is things that they produced with the chickens they had. So they had the bare minimum, essentially."

Now living in Lula, his father is a welder and his mother works in manufacturing. They make a decent living, he said, but a blue-collar lifestyle has taken its toll.

"They work very long hours, and I can tell they're tired," he said. "Even though they're not relatively that old, I can see that they're far ahead of their years. And that just reminds me that I have a job to do, and that's to get a job that isn't so harsh on my body so that I'm able to help them out in their later years."

"Even though they didn't get the chance (to get an education), they said I have the chance," he said. "And I've taken that seriously."

Meg Jett, an academic advisor at Howard E. Ivester Early College, where Gonzalez has taken nine dual enrollment courses, spoke about the transformation he has made over the years, from a "very shy" eighth grader with no plans for the future to a leader who is more than eager to lend a helping hand to his fellow students.

"He genuinely loves helping other people, which is amazing because he's full of knowledge, and now he loves to share that knowledge," Jett said.

"And he does it in a very kind way," said Ivester Early College Dean Michelle Hood.

Gonzalez has his eyes set on a career in chemical engineering. He hasn't quite honed in on a particular industry, but medicines is one consideration.

"Medication costs a lot, so I want to get into that and see if I can make some sort of change there," he said. "I do have a diabetic friend that, on occasion, his insurance doesn't pay for his insulin."

In the meantime, though, he'd like to try his hand in boxing and join a gym, a prospect that doesn't exactly thrill his parents.

"They think I'm crazy when I say that," he laughed.

About this story

At a Hall County school board meeting last month, officials gave a presentation about the strides that have been made in the district's AP and dual enrollment programs, particularly by disadvantaged students, who account for a large portion of the student body. The Times spoke with two of these students recently, who shared their stories of struggle and triumph. The other student's story can be found here.

More than 53% of Hall County's 28,000 students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and nearly one-third are considered English language learners. Additionally, nearly half of all students at the Howard E. Ivester Early College, which partners with universities to provide dual enrollment classes, will be the first in their family to attend college.

The AP exam pass rate rose substantially from 29% in 2013 to 57% in 2022, according to district data. And officials say many of the students responsible for that improvement are students like the ones mentioned above.

"Hall County School District is breaking that myth that students in certain situations can't be successful in these highly rigorous programs," Superintendent Will Schofield told The Times last month.