Graduating from an under-resourced high school in Canoga Park, Calif., a predominantly Hispanic section of Los Angeles, Oswaldo Galicia knew an engineering college major would be a challenge.
"There are very few AP courses offered, and most of them did not prepare you adequately to pass the exams, especially in math and science," he says. "In AP Calculus and AP Physics, only one or two students would actually pass the exam out of about 25 to 30 students."