Ismael Ramos, an Abraham Lincoln High School grad, is among those eligible for a new grant from the University of Colorado. The 18-year-old, who plans to attend CU, talks about his path to college. His comments have been edited for space and clarity.

I am the youngest of five kids. I have four older sisters. Three of them are in college now. My mom stays at home, which is a lot of work, and my dad is a cook in a restaurant. We live in southwest Denver and my family earns about $45,000 a year.

During high school, I really wanted to go to college. But there was always that frustration of not being able to pay for it. I would see my dad come home late at night really tired. He'd look at all his bills and he'd make lists of how to pay them.

He kept telling me that no matter what, he would get me to college. I took it to heart. I saw how much my dad was working. I really didn't want him to put another load on his back because I knew he couldn't pay. So that was a real frustration.

A lot of times, when I looked at my dad, I thought I should just get a job and start working.

But I decided to go to college because of his support. I'm really grateful to him. I know that going to college and then coming home would help him more in the long run than if I started working right now.

My family will have to pay a little bit of money for my college. I have $6,000 from the Denver Scholarship Foundation, a $1,000 Comcast scholarship and $3,000 from CU. I'm getting all grants and scholarships. I want to study psychology. I'd like to continue studying after my bachelor's.

The grant and scholarships are another opportunity. It's another open door.