Daniel runs toward dream of earning college degree

Villa Esperanza selects young father to receive scholarship

Daniel

Like many immigrants in the U.S., Daniel came at a young age, trying to make a better life for himself, even though he was only 16 at the time and knew no English. He came from Mexico City and made his first home in Dallas, where he connected with a non-profit, Proyecto Adelante. As a volunteer, he helped other immigrants with their necessary immigration paperwork and worked as a DJ for the organization’s fundraisers. At the time, he was working as an HVAC installer, and felt the urge to help out the community, to help other immigrants.

Proyecto Adelante also introduced Daniel to someone who would play an important part in his life and future: his wife Valerie. While she pursued her educational goals, Daniel postponed his and continued to work to support her and their two daughters. Her pursuit of a graduate degree brought them to Austin, where she studied and Daniel worked. His most recent job fed into his idealism and wish to help others: he worked for Habitat for Humanity, running a newly created repair program. As he continued in this job, he began to realize that an academic background helps one to better make change and instigate it. He felt he would have more credibility if he had a college degree. At the age of 31, he enrolled in Austin Community College.

As he made the decision to go to school, Daniel struggled with what giving up his income could mean for his family. When he was a new immigrant in this country, he found it difficult to save money from the jobs he had back then, and this hardship remained in his memory. But with the support of his wife, he decided that the short-term sacrifices of going back to school full time would reap long-term benefits.

Daniel and his family

Originally interested in engineering, Daniel was later inspired to pursue a communications degree, as his professors told him he had an aptitude for writing. This is an impressive accomplishment since English is his second language and he didn’t know it at all before he came to the U.S. as a teenager. Couple that with his lifelong enthusiasm for radio and being a DJ, Daniel has decided to pursue communications. He hopes to enroll in a Radio, TV, Film program (RTF) at a four-year school after finishing his two years at Austin Community College. He wants to work on improving the quality of information available to the Latino population through radio programming.

Daniel’s pursuit of a college degree was a hard decision to make, but he is motivated and enjoys being exposed to new material and information. He likes sitting down and writing, even in his second language. He enjoys the college environment – walking down the hallways to his classes feels great, he says. He is a full-time student so that he can devote the time necessary to be successful.

Outside of class, Daniel enjoys a good run. He runs three to four times a week and has participated in three 10k races. “Running energizes me. It makes me feel good and healthy. Maybe I’ll try to run a marathon in the future,” he said.

In a way, Daniel has been running that marathon since he arrived in the U.S., keeping a steady pace, doing what is necessary, learning along the way, making a life for himself and his family without getting burned out. He makes calculated decisions, figuring out how to best move forward and reach his dreams. His decision to be a college student in his 30s with a wife and children to worry about was not easy, but he is glad he made it. He wants to inspire his daughters, his younger brothers, and other Latinos. To reach the finish line, he knows what he must do. And he is fully willing and able to keep his head up, his eye on the prize, and do what is necessary to make it all the way.

To learn more about Villa Esperanza, please visit: www.villa-esperanza.org

Written by Jill Sokness, Villa Esperanza volunteer