For a Matamoros teen, getting an education hasn't been easy - but his hard work is now paying off.

Francisco Eduardo Cervantes, a senior at Veterans Memorial Early College High School, received a four-year scholarship to Boston College.

The 18-year-old senior lives in Matamoros with his parents and siblings, but was born in Brownsville. He travels across Veterans International Bridge almost every day to get to school.

"I was just filled with emotion and as soon as we all stopped celebrating,” Cervantes recalled. “I remember I started crying because the first thought that came to my mind was my parents don't have to pay for anything. Paying for stuff has always been kind of rough since we live in Matamoros."

He will be the first in his immediate family to go to college. 

“I guess hard work pays off,” Cervantes said. “I went really hard into that application, and I’m thankful for my parents who supported me, for my friends who supported me."

Cervantes was the first student in Brownsville ISD to receive a scholarship through the Questbridge program. It connects high-achieving high school seniors from low-income backgrounds with full four-year scholarships to top colleges. He said he wants to go into the field of electrical engineering.