Many aspire to become a model student, but few can match the credentials of Alberto Solis, Class of 2011.

He's been a textbook model since the third grade and his magnetic smile can be found in the pages of more than twenty-five textbooks. Alberto was reared in Austin, Texas, where his mother, Guadalupe Solis, works for a book publisher.

"It's kind of silly and kind of fun," Solis said. "I stand there with a beaker and smile. I do Spanish textbooks, all kinds."

Posing for the camera aside, Solis is a true role model. In an extended family with thirty-five first cousins, he is the first to attend college. He is a summer mentor for the Kenyon Educational Enrichment Program that brings first-generation, first-year college students to the campus for a six-week transition. He volunteers at the Wiggin Street Elementary School. As a member of the Archon Society, he tackles community service projects, including a clean-up day at the Brown Family Environmental Center. And he's a hosting coordinator, matching visiting high school kids with Kenyon students for an inside look at the College.

His own experience as a visiting high school student boosted his interest in Kenyon. "The personal attention I got from students and faculty was really cool," he said. "The second time I came, the students I met the first time still remembered my name, which was neat.

"I wanted a place where I could get to know everyone, and I think at Kenyon that can happen."

His goal is to become an educator. And he's leaning toward a major in sociology, inspired by a professor. "The faculty is really devoted to students," he said. "In all my classes, the instructors have been really passionate about what they're teaching."

Coming from a lively urban environment, Solis had to consider his entertainment options in a rural Ohio village. Not to worry. "Something is always going on, something different all the time—a concert, an a cappella group, a play."