Bank of America Charitable Foundation
$11,500.00
Dr. William & Jessica Serrata (Jim R. Phillips Endowment Fund)
$500.00
Nita Phillips (Jim R. Phillips Endowment Fund)
$5,000.00
Southwest Land Development (5th Annual Dinner & Fundraiser)
$750.00
El Paso, TX, May 17, 2018– Project ARRIBA, a leader in workforce and economic development in the Paso Del Norte region, is pleased to announce its 35th graduating class …
Christina Valdiva., is 32 years old and a single mother of four and veteran of the US Army. She came to Project ARRIBA in the summer of 2012, unemployed and struggling to provide for her family. Christina had been accepted into the Registered Nurse program at El Paso Community College, but did not have the means to pay for tuition or school materials. However, with Project ARRIBA’s assistanc...
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Kristie Darlene Reyes was born in El Paso, TX. Her parents divorced when she was young and her mother moved to Florida— where Kristie spent her summers. When her father re-married, Kristie’s home life became difficult and abusive; and she found herself on the street at age 17. Kristie had gone from being a straight “A” student with prospective hopes of joining the Air Force Academy, to leavi...
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Belinda Atienzo was born and raised in El Paso’s Segundo Barrio. She graduated top ten percent of her class at Bowie High School, and began college at NMSU, pursuing a degree in nursing. However, due to financial struggles, she was forced to come back home with her parents. With determination to continue her journey, Belinda immediately transferred to EPCC. Working as a tutor/note-taker at the ...
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Deborah Diaz was born and raised in El Paso, TX. After graduating from high school in 2008 she enrolled at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) that same year. However, Deborah was not able to continue at UTEP due to a mental health condition and severe depression.
In spite of this, Deborah knew that education was key to financial independence. In 2009, Deborah enrolled at a fo...
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Elizabeth was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She worked as a substitute teacher and, even though she loved the work, the pay was not enough to sustain her small family. Elizabeth had studied psychology, but later changed her major to nursing after having been impressed by a nurse practitioner who cared for her son at his doctor’s office. She applied to local nursing programs but was eith...
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Jesse Carbajal, is a 24-year-old young man. When he applied to Project ARRIBA in 2012, Jesse was working as a rehab tech and has just been accepted in the Physical Therapy Assistant program at El Paso Community College. Jesse knew he would have to quit his job to devote his time to school but would also not have the means to pay for his tuition. Jesse was also dealing with a trying living ar...
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Javier Perez. is 32 years old, married, and has two beautiful daughters. He came to Project ARRIBA in 2012, and at the time was working two jobs as a medical assistant. Javier wanted to continue his education, but as the sole provider for his family, he did not have the necessary resources to make this a reality. With Project ARRIBA’s financial, educational and social support, Javier complet...
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Angelica Pedregon was born in Tacoma, WA but moved to El Paso, TX at a very young age due to her parent’s military career. With an interest in healthcare, Angelica completed a Medical Assistant (MA) Certificate. In spite of her work as an MA, she still lived paycheck to paycheck and received government assistance. She knew there had to be a better way to support her family.
Angelica con...
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My name is Bertha Lorena Contreras and I am a Project ARRIBA graduate. I was born in Cd. Juarez and was raised in San Buenaventura, Chihuahua, Mexico. While in Mexico, I completed two semesters of college, married, and had three sons. I decided to come to the states when my marriage ended.
Leaving my hometown was scary for me and my children but I wanted to give my boys a better life. On...
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Samantha Davis is 23 years of age, married, and has a 4-year-old son. Her husband was the sole provider and earned minimum wage. While they were able to sustain the household, they lived on a very tight budget. Samantha had just been accepted into the Registered Nurse program at El Paso Community College but no longer qualified for financial aid. December 2012, she became a Project ARRIBA ...
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