You might find it surprising, but I know what it’s like to feel out of place. I lived in Mexico City once. I looked so different and stood out so much that people would even stop to take pictures of me in the street. Those moments made me really understand how important it is to connect with others on a human level, no matter how different we seem. We all want the best for ourselves and our families.<\/p>\n
My wife, Karen, immigrated to the United States with the goal of becoming bilingual and then returning to Mexico to complete her college education. We met at Central Community College and, well, the rest is history.<\/p>\n
We both went on to earn our degrees with the help of scholarships \u2013 law school for me and Public Accounting for her. We have worked incredibly hard to get where we are today. Being immigrants, going to community college and getting scholarships made a huge difference in our lives. We met a lot of people who faced the same challenges we did, especially when it came to barriers to higher education.<\/p>\n
In 2013, we started the True Potential Scholarship because we believe everyone deserves a chance to make their life better through education. Education opens doors to good jobs and strong families, which builds up our entire community.<\/p>\n
The scholarship focuses on helping young immigrants because they face a lot of tough barriers. Some of them don’t find out about their immigration status until they’re almost done with high school. Suddenly, their plans for college seem impossible. Our scholarship gives them a chance to go to college, learn the skills to build the life they\u2019ve dreamed of and help our communities grow.<\/p>\n
We started by helping young people who have DACA and Temporary Protective Immigration Status here in the U.S. But now, we help all immigrants. Our mission is to help these young folks get to college without letting the cost stop them in their tracks.<\/p>\n
Another detail of the True Potential Scholarship is that we specifically partner with community colleges. Why? Well, it’s more affordable, which means the scholarship can help more students. Plus, students can stay close to home and manage their schedules better. We’re working with community colleges in Nebraska and Iowa that match our scholarship funds, making the money go even further.<\/p>\n