2025 Handley High School graduate Gabi Gonzalez Recinos is on her way to a career in nursing thanks to Laurel Ridge Community College and an initiative designed to help students like her starting early in their high school careers.
She joined the Scholars Latino Initiative (SLI) after learning about it from her Spanish teacher at Handley.
“The program helps first-generation college students learn about how college works,” said Gonzalez, who is in Laurel Ridge’s Practical Nursing Program. “SLI is what helped me learn how you can get a scholarship, why your GPA is important, and why it’s important to be in extracurriculars. They even helped us visit colleges that were in Virginia.”
She said she visited the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and James Madison University with SLI. Gonzalez received a scholarship from SLI and a technology grant for her first year at Laurel Ridge, and a smaller alumni scholarship for the 2026-27 academic year. She also received a John Handley High School College Board Scholarship.
Based in Harrisonburg, the college access nonprofit SLI is also offered to high school students in Richmond and at Handley High School in Winchester, said Director of Development Christopher Clymer Kurtz. He said peers or teachers recommend the program to students who then apply to an SLI program director at their school.
“The whole goal is to help students understand that college is an option and to navigate the decisions that need to be made and the process to apply and all the leg work that goes into that,” said Clymer Kurtz.
The program is open to freshmen, although sophomores are considered, said Sara Shoemaker, a school counselor at Handley and one of the SLI program directors. They must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and identify as Latino, as well as have a financial need and a desire to be mentored as they plan for and apply to college.
To get into the program, students also must answer several questions and get two teacher recommendations. Students accepted into the program meet after school a couple of times a month.
“SLI is an awesome chance for college-focused Latino students to get exposure to college experiences, have an opportunity to participate in college visits, both here and at the campus, and prepare themselves for life after high school,” Shoemaker said. “Students who successfully meet the requirements are eligible for SLI scholarships. The majority of our scholarships are technology grants and college tuition scholarships.”
Gonzalez enjoyed coming to Laurel Ridge after her graduation from Handley, where she had taken a dual-enrolled class.
Clymer Kurtz noted that Laurel Ridge is one of the sponsors of SLI’s Celebración Nov. 14 in Harrisonburg.
“This year we’re celebrating because as of this summer we’ve awarded just over $1 million to students since 2012,” said Clymer Kurtz. “Laurel Ridge has always been a really good partner for us, and we’re grateful for that. The college is a great option for our students.”
He said Handley has had 63 students take part in SLI since it began with the Class of 2016. Of those, 25 have gone on to Laurel Ridge.
Gonzalez enjoyed coming to Laurel Ridge after her graduation from Handley, where she had taken a dual-enrolled English class.
“Coming to campus was really, really different from high school – in a good way,” she said. “It felt like I was learning the stuff that I wanted to learn. It was up to me what classes I wanted to take. Obviously, there are prerequisites, but those were to get me to where I wanted to be. It was really fun having my own study time and having two-hour breaks between classes. Time management was a big thing that I had to learn.”
Her Certified Nurse Aide class was her favorite. It met five hours a day, four days a week.
“It was the shortest course, too,” said Gonzalez. “That’s why I think my time management had to be at it’s A game. It was only a seven-week course, so I had no time to procrastinate.
“I loved my instructor, Terry Shanks. You could tell how experienced she is and how much she wanted us to be ethical, and she always reminded us that the patient was a person. In nursing homes, there’s a negative stereotype that people working there don’t care about their patients, but Ms. Shanks really made sure that we remember they are people.”
She said she completed her clinical hours at Heritage Hall in Front Royal, and ended up being hired by the nursing home.
Gonzalez had considered becoming a psychological therapist, but she didn’t want to be in school that long. She said she might want to become a registered nurse, which requires more education than licensed practical nursing. And, she is considering a more advanced career in drug development and biochemistry at the University of Virginia.
“I enrolled in the LPN program because I wanted to become a nurse a little faster and a little cheaper,” said Gonzalez, adding, “I think that’s for future me to decide once I become an LPN whether I want to become an RN!”
Learn more about SLI at https://vasli.org/.