El Paso, TX, December 9, 2020– Project ARRIBA, a leader in workforce and economic development in the Paso Del Norte region, is pleased to announce its 40th graduating class of El Paso Community College, University of Texas at El Paso a…
Virginia Chavira, a 40-year-old single mother of 3 came to Project ARRIBA with hopes of becoming a participant. Virginia was attending the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Registered Nurse program and was unable to finance her needed summer semester as financial aid was not offered during the summer. Virginia had no family support. She relied on student loans, food stamps, social securi...
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**Participant Voice - Diana Esquivel, PTA EPCC**
Diana Esquivel is from Gomez Palacio, Durango Mexico. She moved to El Paso, Texas, six years ago after graduating from law school in her home town. Despite her degree and inability to speak English, she was not able to find many job opportunities in the U.S.
Realizing this challenge, Diana enrolled into English as a Second Language (ESL) ...
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Maria Medina applied to Project ARRIBA at age 40. She was a single mother of 3 and had reached a point in her life where she wanted to make a positive change for her and her children. Maria heard of Project ARRIBA at an El Paso Community College (EPCC) nursing orientation, applied and was accepted into the program. While in school, she had to stop working as a medical assistant and move in...
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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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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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Mayte Githinji was born in Chihuahua, Mexico and moved to El Paso, Texas in 2011 when she was 18 years old.
Mayte received all her formal education in Mexico and, as a result, had to learn English prior to enrolling in college. After a semester of English as a Second Language classes, she was able to start her core classes at El Paso Community College (EPCC). There she met her husband who ...
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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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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Anniela Solano, a 25-year-old single mother, became a Project ARRIBA participant in 2012. At the time, she was a full-time student, unemployed, and had no prior work experience. Anniela wanted to work helping people in a field that offered her job security but knew in order to achieve this, she would need to complete her education. With Project ARRIBA’s assistance, Anniela completed her Regis...
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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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