ESCONDIDO - For most high school seniors waiting to plan their future, just receiving one college letter with the words "You're Accepted" is a relief. Add on to that, the phrase "all expenses paid," and it is a dream come true.

That is, at least, how 17-year-old Ricardo Lopez said he felt when he was recently awarded a full four-year scholarship to Princeton University.

"It was mind blowing," the Orange Glen High School senior said Thursday. "Ever since middle school, I have imagined and been working toward that moment when I would get my college acceptance."

The scholarship, worth at least $160,000, will cover Ricardo's tuition, books, and housing for his four years of college and even go toward some travel expenses, like his first trip out to visit the New Jersey campus later this year.

The award was promised to Ricardo in November, when he was one of 204 students selected from thousands around the country for the National College Match program. The program, run by a Palo Alto-based education foundation, aims to match high-achieving, low-income students with elite colleges.

Ricardo, who has lived in Escondido for the last nine years, is the oldest of three siblings and hopes to be the first in his family to graduate from college. His parents, he said, never had the opportunity themselves and he has learned a lot from watching their lives.

"It's just foolish not to value education," he said matter-of-factly, adding that he has watched for years as his parents "worked harder and got less because of their lack of education."

Before starting high school, Ricardo said, he made a promise to himself that he would do everything he could to make college a possibility.

As a result, the unassuming teen has managed to earn straight-A's throughout high school, which has included a number of honors courses and 12 Advanced Placement classes. He is also on pace to be the school's valedictorian in the spring.

Advanced Placement classes are college-level courses with a test that, when successfully completed, equates to college credits.

While Ricardo's intelligence and innate curiosity is evident, teachers said Friday that he is not one to brag or put himself above his peers.

"He is very available to every student who wants help," said Orange Glen math teacher Kathy Dooley.

Dooley, who has known Ricardo since his freshmen year when he first joined the Advancement via Individual Determination program, said he has always been a leader, tutoring kids and inspiring his peers and teachers with his own hard work.

Even after he graduates and heads to college in the fall, Dooley said she knows that he will continue to play a role at Orange Glen.

"He is committed to continuing as a college student to help kids back here to do what he is doing," Dooley said. "He will inspire them to do what he has done. … He wants to take kids with him."

Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.