EPC mentors have been in today’s students’ shoes and know what it takes to get into and succeed at a great school.  We went from El Paso high schools to Baylor University, Boston University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, George Washington University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Michigan, the University of Notre Dame, Princeton University, Rice University, the University of Southern California, Stanford University, St. Mary’s University, Texas Christian University, University of Texas at Austin, Vassar College and other highly-ranked universities. 

Today we are doctors, lawyers, PhD candidates, educators, engineers, and business leaders among other esteemed professions.  Some of us have returned to El Paso to make a difference in our hometown, some of us live in other parts of the country but keep El Paso close to our hearts, all of us, however, are committed to giving back to our home community and helping the next generation of El Paso students reach their dream of attending one of America’s best colleges.

FOUNDERS

J.M. Hanks High School

Stanford University

Stanford Law School

When Gabriel applied to college, he had people urging him along, guiding him, making him believe, even when he didn’t, that he could reach that highest peak: a great college.  Through El Paso Connect, Gabriel hopes to give that same guidance and support, and all of opportunity that came from that first “fat envelope” in the mail to students from his hometown.  Gabriel left El Paso for the palm tree-lined streets of Stanford and decided to stay a little while – earning a bachelors degree in International Relations and a juris doctor.  In search of a new experience, Gabriel moved to New York City after law school and joined Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a prominent firm where he practices corporate law.  While he’s been living away from El Paso for a number of years, he still calls the Sun City home and is excited to serve his community in this small way.  When not working on the EP Connect website or entrepreneurial business plans with his friends, Gabriel isn’t much changed from his 17 year old self and enjoys listening to hip-hop music, playing basketball and learning new slang. 

J.M. Hanks High School

Stanford University

Columbia University

When Erika left her beloved hometown for Stanford University her eyes were opened to the world of opportunity that comes with attending an exceptional college.  She studied political science, made friends with backgrounds very different than her own, met her future husband and put her first stamps in her passport.  After college Erika worked as a press secretary for various Democratic political candidates and issue campaigns.  Today Erika continues her work in the realm of political communications as an international public affairs consultant at Ketchum, a leading global public relations agency.  She is also working on her Masters in Strategic Communications at Columbia University.  Erika enjoys exploring NYC, thinking about where in the world to visit next and is excited to enrich the lives of kids from EP through El Paso Connect. 

MENTORS

Cathedral High School

Stanford University

Gabriel has spent eight years working at successful software companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and is currently a senior engineer.  Combining his technical skills with a passion for teaching, he has spent 4 years teaching technology classes, like Video Game Design, to 9 to 14 year olds in Bay Area summer camps.  He extended this to 7 to 9 year olds in Sweden this August, crossing language barriers in collaboration with the HUMlab at Umeå University.  He is currently completing a Masters degree in the Learning, Design, and Technology program at Stanford University's School of Education.

Alex Almanzan

Eastwood High School

Stanford University

St. Mary’s Law School

Andres Almanzan

Eastwood High School

Stanford University

University of California at Los Angeles Law School

Alejandro Arcia

Parkland High School

Stanford University

After graduating from Parkland High School in 2004, Alejandro went off to Stanford University. Four years of tests and many sleepless nights later, he decided to come back to El Paso to be close to family and friends. Finding work in the middle of recession was a bit tough, but eventually he found a job with Economic Development in City Hall. The work experience has proven rewarding for Alejandro, and he hopes to one day utilize the knowledge he is obtaining from his job on whatever path life may take him.

Veronica Barajas

Loretto Academy

Baylor University

New Mexico State University

Veronica works in Community Outreach for New Mexico State University.  She completed her undergraduate studies at Baylor University in Psychology and Neuroscience with a minor in Film Production.  After completing her studies, she worked in Biomedical Research at Emory University.  Veronica then left science to work in Film Production in Los Angeles, CA.  In 2006, she decided to return to the El Paso region to complete a Masters at New Mexico State University in the areas of Counseling and Educational Psychology.

Loretto Academy

Stanford University

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Jessica graduated from Stanford University in 2001 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Biology and Psychology.  She then went on to pursue a Masters Degree in Public Health at the UTHSC-Houston, School of Public Health and graduated with her MPH in December 2004.  Upon returning to her hometown of El Paso, Jessica has been working at the UT School of Public Health, El Paso Regional Campus since January 2005 as a Research Associate/Project Director.  She is currently working on the Somos Familia Project, which serves to educate Hispanic breast cancer survivors and their relatives about breast cancer and genetic testing.  She was also the Project Director for a prostate cancer project educating Hispanic men about the various screening methods and how to make an informed decision about these options.  While living in San Antonio, Jessica was the Director of Programs at a small non-profit organization entitled, Mujeres Unidas Contra el SIDA, where her primary role was grant writer and program developer.   

Alyssa Cervantes

J.M. Hanks High School

University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas at El Paso

Before graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, Alyssa represented El Paso in the Moreno/Rangel Legislative Internship Program at the state Capitol as a policy analyst.  After graduation, she worked as an analyst under City Councilman Chip Haass.  She then moved to the City of Houston and accepted the City Council Liaison position, working under Mayor Bill White and Director Alfred Moran.  Alyssa recently moved back to El Paso to pursue a political career and is currently a graduate student in Public Administration at the University of Texas at El Paso.

John Cowan

Coronado High School

Harvard University

Loretto Academy

Stanford University

Cornell Law School

J.M. Hanks High School

University of Notre Dame

University of Texas at Austin Law School

Mary is a Hanks High graduate, also has earned degrees from the University of Notre Dame (B.A., Political Science) and the University of Texas at Austin (J.D., Law). Mary currently works as a corporate lawyer in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area. Mary lives in Boston, and has used her educational experience to both learn and travel the world.

J.M. Hanks High School

George Washington University

Heather was born and raised in east El Paso, attended East Point Elementary, Desert View Middle, and J.M. Hanks High schools over the years. She enrolled at UTEP for her first two years of college and then transferred to The George Washington University in Washington, DC where she earned degrees in biology and psychology.  She works at the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine on projects involving nutrition and public health.

J.M. Hanks High School

University of Texas at Austin

Carrie completed her year training in medical technology at Austin State Hospital in 2003 and is ASCP certified in Clinical Laboratory Science.  She worked as a generalist for 5 years, working in chemistry, toxicology, urinalysis, microbiology and hematology.  For the past year she has worked solely in microbiology and began teaching serology and immunology to the medical technology students.

Cathedral High School

Princeton University

University of Texas Southwestern Medical School

J.M. Hanks High School

University of Texas at Austin

Texas State University

After attending UT Austin and earning a bachelor's degree in Applied Learning and Development, Jina went on to earn her Masters degree from Texas State University in Educational Administration. Jina has taught both kindergarten and fourth grade before becoming an assistant principal in Frisco ISD, the nation's fastest growing school district. She lives in McKinney, Texas with her husband and two beautiful children.

Erik Encarnacion

Eastwood High School

Princeton University

Columbia University Law School

After graduating magna cum laude in philosophy from Princeton, Erik got his law degree from Columbia University in New York City.  He was an associate attorney at a large New York law firm for two years before serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Ronald Lee Gilman, a judge on the federal court of appeals for the Sixth Circuit.  He currently plans to return to the Dallas office of his law firm in October 2009.

University of Texas at Austin

University of Oklahoma

Gabriel is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin Mechanical Engineering program in 2002.  He began his professional career with General Motors in Detroit, Michigan as a manufacturing engineer before transferring to a new location with GM in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. During this time he obtained a Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Oklahoma. Upon completion of graduate school he returned to Austin, Texas and  took a position with Samsung Austin Semiconductor as a mechanical engineer.  He is also in the process of starting an afterschool music program called ‘Schoolyard Rock’ for the Austin Independent School District where elementary school kids will be inspired to excel in education through the study of music and playing instruments.  Gabriel’s interests and hobbies include music,sports,outdoor actives, art, food and travel.  “HOOK EM’ HORNS!!”

Pablo Federico

Cathedral High School

Stanford University

Pablo graduated from Stanford in 2002 where he studied Political Science and Economics and wrote an honors thesis in philosophy.  Pablo has over six years of operational and financial auditing experience with local government and national healthcare providers.  Most recently, Pablo took a year off to travel around the world and then work on the presidential campaign.  Pablo returned to San Francisco earlier this year where he now works for Clorox.  At Clorox, Pablo supervises a wide range of audits for Clorox operations around the world.

David Fleager

Cathedral High School

Stanford University

University of Texas at Austin Law School

Born and raised in El Paso, TX, David attended Stanford University with some of his best friends from Cathedral High School.   After graduation with a BA in Economics in 2001, David taught for two years at a small private school in the Bay Area.   In 2003, David returned to Texas and began his law school education at the University of Texas at Austin.   Upon completion of JD, David returned to California with his wife, Kristen, as she began her medical residency training at Stanford Hospital.   After working in the financial industry in 2009, David returned to teaching Economics and Mathematics and is currently teaching at a private school in Mountain View, CA.

J.M. Hanks High School

University of Southern California

Although, Bernadette had been away living and working in California for the past ten years, she's very excited to be back in her home state.  It was her passion for journalism that led her to California in the first place.  She received a broadcast journalism scholarship to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, after attending J.M Hanks High in El Paso, Texas.  After graduating, it was off to study and perfect her Spanish for one-year in Bilbao, Spain.  When it was time to get back to work, she dove head-first into reporting along the Mexican border in El Centro, California.  It took a while to get back to Texas, but now that she's here, she hopes to stay and make it her home.  When she's not working, she enjoys reading biographies because real life drama is better than anything you could write, she says.

Boston University

Ohio State University

Kristy graduated from Hanks High School in 1998 and Boston University in 2002.  She majored in Psychology, minored in Journalism, was an Assignment Editor for BU’s Daily Free Press, was a member of BU’s NCAA Division I Women’s Crew team for two years, and was a member of BU’s Symphonic Chorus for two years.  Following graduation, she moved to Columbus, Ohio and was a Research Coordinator for four years on a NIMH-funded, multi-site study of a medication and behavioral treatment for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.  She is currently enrolled in a Psychology Ph.D. program at Ohio State University, specializing in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorders. 

Erik Hanshew

Stanford University

University of California at Berkeley, Hastings College of the Law

Erik grew up in a small rural town in Northern California.  After graduating from high school in Sacramento, Erik attended Stanford University.  At Stanford, he met El Pasoean Soraya Yanar, who would later be his wife and bring him to El Paso. Erik graduated from Stanford University in 1996 with an English degree.  He then attended UC Hastings College of the Law.  Upon graduation from law school in 1999, Erik clerked at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco.  He then worked as a litigation associate in the San Francisco and Palo Alto offices of a large international law firm for a number of years.  In 2003, Erik moved to El Paso, later married Soraya and adopted El Paso as his new home.  He now works as an Assistant Federal Public Defender representing indigent criminal defendants in federal court. 

Larry Hu

J.M. Hanks High School

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Columbia University

Larry Hu is approaching 5 years of experience working as a nuclear engineer at the Fermi 2 Boiling Water Reactor (located in southeast Michigan).  After doing 2 years of full-time medical physics research, Larry graduated in 2005 with a double Bachelor's Degree in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics.  Larry is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Applied Physics while working as a full-time engineer.  When not at work or school, Larry enjoys running, biking, disc golf, and spending time with his wife and son.

J.M. Hanks High School

University of Texas at El Paso

Harvard Law School

After studying accounting at UTEP, Angela had the distinct privilege of attending Harvard Law School, in large part thanks to the support and guidance of UTEP's Law School Preparation Institute. Angela went on to pursue her dream of studying worship at Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney, Australia for 2 years. She is currently a 3rd year associate in Dallas, Texas, practicing primarily in the area of State and Local Taxation under the direction and mentorship of Cindy Ohlenforst. Angela is also very thankful for the opportunity to serve as the worship director at her church in Frisco, Texas.

J.M. Hanks High School

Texas Christian University

Mark is an experienced public relations leader at Lockheed Martin who has promoted defense industry programs to audiences from California to the U.K. He's represented a variety of products, including fighter jets, missile interceptors and autonomous robots, and he's helped his company give back to the community by coordinating student mentoring programs and philanthropy. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas, the same city as his alma mater, TCU. In his spare time he plays racquetball, runs, sings at his church and actively searches for a good Mexican food restaurants.

Rolando Longoria II

Cathedral High School

Stanford University

University of California, Santa Barbara

Rolando graduated from Stanford University Human Biology focusing in genetics, bioethics, and the DNA molecule.  After that, Rolando took a break from science to pursue creative writing and hopes to publish a novel one day.  In the meantime, he finished an MA in Chicana/o Studies at UCSB, focusing on theories of violence and resistance.  He is currently enrolled in a Sociology MA/PhD Program at UCSB, focusing on gender theory, hate crimes, and LGBTQ studies.  In his spare time, Rolo likes to write stories and poems, read graphic novels, play video games, surf, draw, sleep, and analyze people's nighttime dreams.

Cathedral High School

Santa Clara University

University of Texas Southwestern at Dallas

Baylor College of Medicine

Aldo grew up on both sides of the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez border (mostly the Lower Valley and the East Side). His training first began at the age of 10 when he resuscitated a lizard back to life. He was educated by the Lasallian Brothers at Cathedral High School (1997), by the Jesuits at Santa Clara Univeristy (2001) where he trained both as an artist (BA) and a biologist (BS). It was at the University of Texas Southwestern at Dallas where he first developed his love for stamping out disease & earned his MD (2006). When he is not walking the wards of county hospitals, riding city buses, painting, or attempting to relive his break dancing days, which have been painfully unsuccessful, he is working to become an advocate for the underserved, a positive role model for young people, and always trying to be a better doctor for his patients.  He is currently training to become a Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Texas Children's Hospital at the Baylor College of Medicine.

J.M. Hanks High School

St. Mary’s University

University of Texas at San Antonio

University of California at Davis

After saying goodbye to El Paso in 1998, Frank attended St. Mary's University in San Antonio Texas, graduating with a B.S. in Biology in 2002. In order to strengthen his scientific resume, Frank pursued a Master of Science degree in Biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, graduating in 2005.  After a few months of working in cancer research at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Frank took a position as Assistant Professor of Biology at San Antonio College, a position he held until 2007.  In 2007 Frank decided to return to school and is currently working on an M.D./Ph.D at the University of California at Davis, focusing on breast cancer research. In his spare time, Frank likes playing guitar, cooking, traveling and spending time with friends and family.

Melinda Moore

Loretto Academy

Dartmouth College

David Munoz

J.M. Hanks High School

St. Mary’s University

University of Texas at San Antonio

St. Mary’s University Law School

After obtaining a high school diploma from J.M. Hanks High School, David went to college at St. Mary's University and graduated in 2002.  He then went on to graduate school at UTSA where he received high honors and was inducted into a leadership honor society.  He was also a teaching assistant and lab instructor.  After graduate school, David worked for the University of Texas System as a research coordinator and taught at the San Antonio Community College.  Later, David went to law school at St. Mary's University and earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2008.  During law school, David was active in the student government, mock trial competitions and was President of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association-student division.  He is currently working in criminal law in San Diego, California. 

Lucas Munoz

Burges High School

Stanford University

Columbia University Law School

Lucas graduated in 1998 from Burges High School.  He attended Stanford University and studied many random subjects before emerging with a degree in Human Biology.  He and his wife lived in New York City for five years, three of which he spent in law school at Columbia.  He and his wife currently live in the Bay Area.  Lucas is one of those bizarre individuals who enjoys taking standardized tests and applying for things, and consequently enjoys helping others through the process. 

Marivel Oropeza

Ysleta High School

Vassar College

New Mexico State University

Marivel is a doctoral student in Educational Leadership at New Mexico State University. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Oropeza spent seven years working in the field of undergraduate admission. Among the institutions at which she worked are the University of Michigan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Vassar College. At Vassar, Oropeza served in the capacity of Assistant Director of Admission and Coordinator of Student of Color Recruitment. Oropeza has also worked as a college counselor at Palmer Trinity School, in Miami, FL. As a graduate student, Oropeza has assisted with research related to Latinos in education and educational change. Oropeza serves as a college counseling consultant to the Socorro Independent School District in El Paso, TX. Her research interests include undergraduate student retention, resilience in students, Critical Race Theory, and access and equity. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Vassar College and a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from New Mexico State University.

Lorraine Palacios-Germain

J.M. Hanks High School

Stanford University

After graduation from Hanks High School in 1997, Lorraine attended Stanford University for and double-majored in Public Policy and Chicano Studies during and completed two summer internships while in college: Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Internship in D.C. and SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity) Internship in NYC.  After graduation, she started as a first year investment banking analyst for UBS Paine-Webber in NYC and re-located a year later to San Francisco. She has worked over 8 years in the Public Finance arena of investment banking and moved to RBC Capital Markets in June 2008 where she is now a vice-president.  She married Nick Germain in May 2006 and recently had their first little girl, Giana this past November 2008.

Betsy Peticolas Keller

J.M. Hanks High School

University of Texas at El Paso

University of Texas at Austin Law School

Betsy recently earned her law degree from the University of Texas.  She hopes to practice in real estate law.  Prior to attending UT, she earned a business degree from UTEP.  Betsy lives in Austin with her 6 dogs and enjoys photography in her spare time.     

Ysleta High School

Vassar College

University of Texas at El Paso

Stephanie is a first generation college student who is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of Texas at El Paso. Her academic interests include psychology, and she is currently investigating the psychological processes involved with immigration and interactions between different ethnic groups. She is a recipient of a graduate fellowship from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and hopes to continue her research for the government after she has receives her doctoral degree. She enjoys mentoring other students, and hopes to serve as a source of motivation. Her experiences are a testimony that any dream can be achieved!

J.M. Hanks High School

Rice University

University of California at Berkeley

Jacob has most recently been a Mayfield Venture Capital Fund Fellow and a graduate student at U.C. Berkeley, where he earned his M.B.A.  Prior to this Jacob was a scientist, consultant and entrepreneur. He was a Product Management Intern at Consorte Media during the summer of 2008. Prior to Consorte, Jacob worked for Accenture, the global outsourcing and consulting company. From 2001 to 2003 Jacob was a scientist at the M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory where he focused on ballistic missile defense systems.  Jacob received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rice University.

Alvaro Soria

Cathedral High School

Stanford University

Stanford Law School

Alvaro is an attorney at Legal Services for Children in San Francisco, CA, and works on guardianship, foster care, immigration and school discipline cases.  Alvaro was previously a fellow at the Impact Fund in Berkeley, working on racial profiling and other civil rights class action cases.  He is a former law clerk of the Honorable Patricio M. Serna of the New Mexico Supreme Court.  Alvaro graduated from Stanford Law School in 2005 and received his B.A. in International Relations and Spanish from Stanford University in 2001.

Cristina Vargas

Loretto Academy

University of Texas at Austin

Brooklyn Law School

Cristina graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and graduated from the Plan II Honors Program.  She worked as a paralegal in Austin for two years before moving to Brooklyn to attend Brooklyn Law School.  During law school she worked at the Diocesan Migrant Refugee Service Center, The Children's Law Clinic and the Safe Harbor Project.  She currently freelances as a Spanish legal translator and volunteers at an immigrant legal service center while seeking full time employment.

Loretto Academy

Vassar College

Columbia University

Katherine graduated from Vassar College with degrees in NeuroPsychology and Latin American Studies in 2002. She spent the next few months in a studio art and furniture design, construction and upholstery studio, and started a Masters in Art Therapy at NYU, which merged psychology with art. After starting a Ph.D in Clinical NeuroPsychology while doing biomedical research for Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center, she realized her calling was in the medical realm, and applied to an accelerated program at Columbia as a Family Nurse Practitioner.  Katherine is currently working in Labor and Delivery, and is applying for her board exams in February, with hopes to work in a Private Practice in Primary Care and/or UNICEF with a concentration in maternal-infant global health.

Coronado High School

Stanford University

Stanford Law School

Soraya is an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (known as TRLA).  She joined the organization in 2004 upon departing from a large international law firm in San Francisco, Thelen, Reid, Brown, Raysman & Steiner.  Originally from El Paso, Soraya returned to Texas to join the public interest sector.  She now represents indigent clients in labor and employment matters, as well as housing, consumer, and civil rights cases.  She also serves as TRLA’s West Coast Recruitment Coordinator, therein, recruiting summer intern candidates and permanent attorney placements for TRLA at Stanford Law School, Boalt Law School, UCLA Law School, USC Law School, and Hastings College of Law.  Soraya graduated from Stanford Law School in 2001.

Victor Omar Yanar

Franklin High School

Stanford University

Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government

With urban educational reform a top professional goal, Omar has began the process of preparing himself for the challenges ahead. A teacher of six years with a Masters Degree in Education, he is currently a student at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, looking to complete his Masters degree in May 2010. He believes that combining his educational experience with public policy expertise can provide him with the necessary tools to effect change in his beloved community of El Paso, Texas. His deep love and commitment to his community has motivated him to begin the process of opening up a leadership charter academy in El Paso to provide for students an alternative to private schools and a leadership curricular alternative to the science and health options already provided by EPISD. The students and citizens of El Paso are a top priority in his life and looks forward to working with the community for the advancement of its youth.