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 …
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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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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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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Maria de Los Angeles Barragan was born and raised in Juarez Chihuahua, Mexico. She moved to El Paso in 2006 upon acquiring residence, and started her new life. She knew she needed to learn the English language and immediately started looking for assistance. She was able to acquire her GED through the San Jacinto Learning Center. Soon after she enrolled at EPCC for ESL classes, and it was t...
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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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Rachel Montiel-Gravlee was born and raised in central El Paso and is a second generation Austin High School graduate. After finishing high school, Rachel enlisted in the Army, finished her time in the service, and enrolled at Kaplan College to train to become a medical assistant. However, wages as a medical assistant were too low and she soon went back to bartending full-time and attending sc...
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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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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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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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