Erika – Royce & Donna Faulkner Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship Recipient
I am a first generation Mexican American, born in El Paso, Texas. I am the youngest of four. My mother was a nurse after receiving her associate degree from El Paso Community College. She died at the age of thirty-three when I was five years old. I then went to live with my grandparents for a few years; because they did not speak English I was placed in the bilingual program for the majority of grade school. I had a daughter in 1998 and dropped out of high school. In 1999, I received a GED and a few months after that I moved to Austin. I now have four children that I have raised on my own since 2009. I managed a shoe store for about eight years, and purchased a home through Habitat for Humanity.
In 2015, I received an Accounting and Bookkeeping certificate through ACC’s Continuing Education program. Last year, I began pursuing my associate’s degree in the Building Construction Technology program at ACC and finished my first year with a 3.4 GPA! After graduating, I plan to become a project manager for my current employer and become an example for my kids and others in my community.
Back to Top