Inspired by his parents' sacrifices, Henry is headed to the University of Notre Dame and is reaching for the stars

TAMPA – Henry Bravo saw his father around campus every day during the four years he attended Jesuit High School.

He’d see him in the maintenance building, where his dad, Hector Sr., worked, or the part of the cafeteria reserved for those employed by the school. They’d bump into each other in hallways or walkways.

And each meeting produced a warm hello, a fist bump, or maybe a hug.

“I can’t describe it,” Hector Sr. said when asked about what those encounters with his son meant to him.

“The American dream.”

It’s why Hector Sr. and his wife, Adelaisi, fled Cuba in 2000, so Henry could have the kind of future that now awaits him.

Henry attended Jesuit, a private Catholic high school in Tampa, with the help of a Florida educational choice scholarship managed by Step Up For Students. He graduated in May near the top of his class and with an armful of awards.

He will attend the University of Notre Dame on a National Merit Scholarship. He plans to major in engineering with the goal of a career designing rockets for NASA.

“My parents are the reason I’m here,” Henry said. “They worked so hard to get me here. I had to do my own part. I had to put in the work.

“My parents’ sacrifice has been an inspiration for me.”

Hector Sr. and Adelaisi were teachers in their native country. In 2000, they won a lottery for visas that allowed them to leave Cuba for Miami. They left their careers, family, and friends behind. They came looking for that American dream.

“This is the best country in the world,” Hector Sr. said. “You’re free here.”

They settled in Tampa, and Hector Sr. found work for a company that makes granite countertops. Adelaisi works at a dermatologist’s office.

They had two sons, Hector Jr. and Henry. Hector Jr. attended district schools and now works for a pharmaceutical company in Orlando.

Henry was in the fourth grade in 2016 when his dad was hired by Jesuit. That summer, Henry attended one of the school’s youth sports camps. He doesn’t remember which sport. Baseball? Basketball? Soccer?

But he does remember his reaction the first time he stepped on campus.

“I was taken aback by how beautiful everything was,” he said. “I thought this might be a school I’d like to attend.”

As an eighth-grader, he needed to pass Jesuit’s entrance exam, a test used nationally by private schools. It was the hardest test he had ever taken.

“There were English parts, like vocabulary, that I wasn’t ready for, and I didn’t think I did great on the essay,” he said. “I wasn’t super confident that I was going to be able to get in.”

The letter with his results arrived at his house a few weeks later. With his family watching, Henry said his hands shook as he opened the letter.

“I knew that letter held the key that could unlock so much potential, so much opportunity,” he said.

Not only was he accepted, but because his grade was in the 99^th percentile nationwide, he earned a partial scholarship to Jesuit.

“We laughed, and we cried together,” Henry said. “It was so great.”

The family celebrated with dinner at Red Lobster.

For years, Henry dreamed of attending Jesuit. Then he arrived on campus as a student.

“I didn’t really feel comfortable,” he said. “There was a lot to take in, the whole environment.”

It was his first time attending a private school. His first time wearing slacks to school.

But he was in smaller classes with teachers who he felt truly cared for his education. He said he felt at home. He quickly settled into doing what he does best – learning.

“The classes are harder, more daunting, but that helps you learn,” he said. “It’s worth it.”

Dave O’Sullivan is the head of the math department at Jesuit. He first taught Henry during Henry’s sophomore year when he took calculus.

O’Sullivan called Henry “humble,” and said he carries himself with “quiet confidence.”

“As a teacher, you'll recognize kids, and you'll say, ‘Man, they're mature for their age.’ But you have a few kids that come along, and you look at them, and you say, ‘Oh my gosh, this kid's mature for my age,’” O’Sullivan said.

“One of the things I most remember about Henry in my class is how polite he was when he was correcting my mistakes. You know, as a teacher, you're going to make mistakes. And some kids, they love it when they catch you. You've got to get over your ego. But Henry was almost apologetic, and there was never, never one that got by him.”

It’s no surprise that Henry received the school’s Excellence in Math Award this year.

He also received the Faculty Memorial Growth Award, which recognizes the student who exemplifies outstanding personal, academic, or personal character development during his time at Jesuit.

“We look for the most well-rounded student that really fits the mission of Jesuit High School,” O’Sullivan said. “We're forming young men who are open to growth, who are intellectually competent, who are religious and believe in our mission, and Henry, he's all that and more.

Henry was surprised that the teachers voted for him.

“I didn’t think I was worthy,” he said.

In February, Jesuit held the school’s biggest annual fundraiser, the Gaudiosa, in the ballroom of one of Tampa’s downtown hotels. Each year, a senior is selected to address the attendees and tell his story.

This year, it was Henry.

“I was terrified,” he said. “My legs were shaking.”

Standing at the microphone, dressed in a tuxedo, with all eyes on him, Henry’s quiet confidence came through.

He told of his parents’ journey to the United States and his journey to Jesuit. He spoke about his growth over the last four years, how he converted to Catholicism. The event raised more than $1 million, with all of it going toward the school’s financial aid packages for students.

Now, Henry is headed to Notre Dame to pursue his dream of becoming an engineer and working at NASA.

“Kids graduate, and they go off, and you'd love to keep in touch,” O’Sullivan said. “Henry is definitely one that you look at and say, ‘I wonder where he's going to be in 10 years, 20 years?’ Really, the sky is the limit for him.”

Roger Mooney, manager, communications, can be reached at [email protected].