Anonymous Donor
$400,000.00
Martha Rochford
$1,000.00
University Presbyterian Church
$4,000.00
Walton Family Foundation
$50,000.00
By David Crowder / El Paso Inc. staff writer: Project ARRIBA has been quietly working with El Paso leaders to help hundreds of mostly Hispanic students from poor families through nursing school and drastically changing their lives since 1998. …
Jennifer Kuiper’s college career began at El Paso Community College in the 90s. She was playing softball at the time and had an athlete’s path ahead of her. Quickly her life changed when she became pregnant and had to leave softball and school behind. She joined the Army, began working but 12 years and a total of 4 children later, it appeared that college just wasn’t going to happen.
Jennife...
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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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Maria Martinez, a married mother of three came to Project ARRIBA in 2012. At the time, she was unemployed but a full-time student. She received financial aid but eventually exceeded her credit hours and became ineligible. Her husband, the sole provider, could not afford her tuition. With Project ARRIBA’s support, along with Maria’s dedication and strong will, she completed her training and ...
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Ysela Hayden, a 29-year-old single mother of two, came to Project ARRIBA in 2012. At the time, she was separated from her husband and had been on her own for a few years. She wanted a better life for her kids and enrolled and was accepted into the Physical Therapy Assistant program at El Paso Community College. However, Ysela was unemployed and her only income came from child support, food st...
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A May 2014 graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso’s (UTEP) Nursing Program, Vanessa credits Project ARRIBA as her chief supporter and the organization that made her dream a reality. Vanessa’s circumstances are much like your typical Project ARRIBA participant, with full family commitments and financial stresses such as a spouse’s unemployment and family financial hardships. These facto...
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Eliana became a Project ARRIBA participant in 2011 at the age of 25. She had been separated from her husband, and had custody of her two younger brothers ages 15 and 8. She worked part time doing tax returns and was earning $7.25 an hour. She relied on social security income and food stamps to meet living expenses. Eliana started off with the LEAP/WDA program at El Paso Community College an...
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Veronica knew the only way she could support her family with three small children was to gain a post-secondary education. After completing her prerequisites for the nursing program at the El Paso Community College, she realized that she did not have the resources required to continue on in her studies. On the verge of putting her education on hold, Project ARRIBA partnered with Veronica in 2003...
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While born in El Paso, TX, Zahori Estrada lived in Monterrey, Mexico for several years due to her father’s job. She came back to El Paso at age 17 and graduated from high school. Her parents encouraged her in pursuing higher education and by 2008 she was enrolled in college. However, a year later she became pregnant with her first child and life changed.
While her parents remained supp...
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**Participant Voice – Andrea DeMay, RN UTEP**
Andrea DeMay was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She and her family call El Paso home. She is married and has young daughter that was born with severe genetic physical abnormalities. Over a span of six years, Andrea was unable to work or go to school full-time. They spent months in and out of hospitals here in El Paso and in San Antonio. H...
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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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