My family immigrated from Chihuahua to New Mexico in the early 1970’s. My parents worked in the Hatch farm field and then moved to Colorado in the late 1970’s to work in the potato fields of Central CO.
I spent much of my childhood in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico and Colorado as we stayed between the United States and Mexico.
Once my family settled in Colorado I spent part of middle school and high school in Eagle County. At first it was difficult to adapt as there was racism and language barriers to overcome.
Once I learned the language, the culture and getting involved in the community, that’s how I really grew and became the person I am today. Not losing focus and constantly working on my goals is how I have shown that a Hispanic can also go to college and be successful in the United States.
My career at Alpine Bank began in 2006, but my relationship with Alpine Bank really began in 1996 when I was awarded the Alpine Bank Hispanic Scholarship. I was one of the first 5 students to receive the Alpine Bank scholarship.
The scholarship was to attend Colorado Mountain College for two years. I received an associate’s degree and arts and became certified in the state of Colorado to become a police officer. I was a police officer in Aspen, then worked as a teacher at Eagle Valley High School and in many other jobs.
Ten years later I was offered a career at Alpine Bank where I was a lender and branch supervisor for the Eagle branch. I am currently the Senior Vice President of Inclusion and Outreach for Alpine Bank. I have been involved in over 15 nonprofit organizations and entities with some involvement on the board of directors.
Some of my proudest moments were when I oversaw and participated in awarding the very scholarship that was awarded to me and that changed my life. Today the scholarship is known as the first generation of Alpine Bank. In 1996 we were only 5 recipients, and now more than 15 scholarships are awarded each year.
My wife Karla, who also had to go through similar obstacles, is now a first grade teacher and is working on her master’s degree.
I have two children. My daughter Luna is now taking advantage of what CMC offers in being able to take tuition-free classes during high school. My son Gael is in high school involved in sports and organizations which helps his knowledge.
As our leaders at Alpine Bank always say, those communities are better because we are part of them. The goal is to play, work and live in those communities and that is why we believe that we reflect the communities we serve. I found my second family at Alpine Bank.
Source: validaily
