A Polk County teen who beat the odds by getting accepted into Harvard University just returned from a trip to the White House.

Erick Meza attended First Lady, Michelle Obama’s, Beating the Odds Summit, this week.

“I saw Michelle Obama come out and I was like, I had to look twice because I was like, 'is that really her?,'” he said. “And then it just has a different feeling when she’s right there."

He said the crowd erupted when President Obama made a surprise appearance and speech.

“It happened again when President Obama came out. He walked on the stage and it was just like he’s just another guy, but he’s right there in front of us speaking. It was really awesome,” Meza said.

Students from all over the country attended the event. Students like Meza, whose parents are migrant workers in Polk County, yet he still made it into one of the most prestigious universities in the country.

Meza says hearing from the President, the First Lady and students with similar stories was inspiring.

“I feel sometimes when I do watch people speaking it’s hard to relate sometimes,” he said. “But both of them, when they spoke it was just so easy, like I knew kind of what they were saying and what they said makes sense and it was very real to me.”

While in D.C., Meza was also able to visit the offices of Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Bill Nelson and meet up with some former and current Harvard students.

“Everybody just loves the school so much. It’s like a big family. No matter if it’s in Orlando or D.C. or where ever,” Meza said. “Everybody, if you’re part of that family they really care for you and they give you advice.”

It’s that kind of mentoring that Debbie Prescott says Central Florida needs more of.

Prescott works with the Florida Prosperity Polk Partnership.

She chaperoned the trip to D.C. with Meza and was inspired by all the young people.

“It was an inspiring time because you are with that many students that have resilience and the fortitude to have accomplished so much in their young lives against battles we don’t even understand,” Prescott said.

With the help of organizations like the United Way she’s hoping to have even more stories like Mezas and more trips to the White House.

Erick Meza is heading off to Harvard in three weeks. He says he’s already been offered internships in D.C., but he’s weighing all of his options first.