Eric Mora Jimenez
CAMDEN – When 17-year-old Eric Mora Jimenez arrived in the United States in 2016 from his native Dominican Republic, he spoke little English and enrolled in a fourth-grade ESL course in the Camden City School District.
Jimenez, who still lives in the city, will graduate in June with a 4.0 grade-point average at the Gloucester Township campus of Camden County Technical Schools and pick up an associate’s degree he earned at Camden County College while in high school.
What’s next?
He has received a full, four-year scholarship covering all costs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), ranked by one evaluation service as the top university in the world, and will study astrophysics with the goal of earning his Ph.D. and one day working at NASA.
“It’s something that a younger me would have never fathomed,” he told TAPinto Camden in an interview. “I grew up in a small country and I had no idea I would immigrate to the United States.”
After his first taste of MIT through a summer program, he applied for early admission to MIT and got in. In late August he will move into his dorm.
Jimenez, who at a young age became a U.S. citizen, credits his mother and stepfather and his biological father with his accomplishments. They are hard-working, and that drove him to achieve, he said.
“She really has a lot of hopes for me and I am super, super happy to fulfill that desire for her,” he said of his mother, Yandely Cruz, who is an instructional assistant at St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral School in Camden.
Jimenez’s stepfather is Gene Cruz, a construction worker, and his biological father is Eriberto Mora, who manages a jewelry store in the Dominican Republic.
The academic superstar, who said he “always brought home perfect grades,” has set a high bar for his younger sisters, who are trying to match his passion for learning.
Perla Jimenez, 13, and Leila Cruz, 8, both go to St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral.
While heavy-duty math and physics courses will be on his college agenda, Jimenez’s other passion is music.
He started taking piano lessons immediately before the pandemic struck and taught himself at home during the isolation. He also taught himself saxophone.
At Camden County Technical Schools, he has immersed himself in the music program, from multiple bands, ensembles, orchestra in the pit for musicals and even composing his own music.
“Eric is a polished, professional musician who was a joy to have as part of the Music Academy,” said his music teacher, Veronica Menna. “Despite pursuing science as a career major, music will always be part of his soul and a great source of comfort and I wish him every success.”
Elise Favilla, Eric’s Spanish professor at Camden County College, said he “welcomes challenges and puts in the time to achieve his goals. Eric was in my Spanish class and also participated in my peer tutoring program, volunteering to assist others who benefited from one-on-one tutoring.”
Paying it forward also is one of his goals, he said.
“My main goal in life is to really give back to my country,” he told TAPinto Camden.
He said he plans to use his fluency in Spanish to teach courses in calculus and physics that would be available online to students in his native country.
This summer, he will visit the Dominican Republic to speak to researchers at universities to determine how they can incorporate his courses from the U.S.
It’s as simple as using a camera, a piece of paper and a pen to help students not much younger than him understand the ordinarily tough coursework, he said.
“It just takes a heart and a passion to give back,” he said.
This article originally appeared March 12, 2025 in TAPinto Camden.
