In 2013, VAMOS scholarships were given to 49 new graduates of Valley high schools. The renewable awards cover all their unmet financial obligations at a four–year college or university.
The scholarships are a critical element in improving educational opportunities for Hispanic students of Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron counties who rank in the top 25% of their class. Yet individual mentoring is a less visible but equally important mission of VAMOS, the Valley Alliance of Mentors for Opportunities and Scholarships.
Enrique Leal has made time to be a VAMOS mentor although his company, Rio Bravo Pictures, is growing. “If you have nothing else, education is what you need to succeed,” he said. “I wanted to help out somehow and get other kids through college.”
The first in his family to go to college, Leal grew up on both sides of the border and graduated from high school in Brownsville in the mid -90s. “We had to push ourselves. My parents couldn’t tell me what it would be like (in college). Many students aren’t prepared mentally to pursue their dreams. It takes more than good grades to get to the next level.”
In retrospect, Leal believes it would have helped to have VAMOS back then. “It would have been easier with a little help, beyond our counselors and teachers,” Leal said. “The reality is that people there did not have the experience or the know-how. Now, we have this organization that is well established and has lots of mentors to support students coming out of high schools and going through four years of college.”
“Everybody deserves the opportunity to go to college. I know the students can handle it, and they can do it better when they have the support system to live out their dreams,” said the Cornell University graduate. He admitted it’s not easy for first generation students to go to Ivy League schools and succeed. Yet, he encourages the students, who are among the best and brightest, to experience something totally different when they are young, to go far away out of their comfort zone.
Now in his third year with VAMOS, Leal is mentoring two students, one at Texas A&M and one at UTPA. “A mentor comes into play because I know what it’s like to be where they are.” For the engineering student, Leal reached out to a friend in the field for advice. “Even if we don’t get matched up (by field of interest), I try to find people I know to help. I found out what my friend did to advance himself and his shortcuts.”
Leal tries to meet with is mentees whenever possible, but the students always have access to him by phone and digitally. “Really, it comes down to how much effort you want to put in connecting with them.”
For more of this story by Eileen Mattei, pick up a copy of the August 2013 print edition of Valley Business Report or click on the “Current & Past Issues” tab on this Web site.