Dear Friends:
Together with our network of committed partners, for more than forty years the TELACU Education Foundation has equipped thousands upon thousands of first-generation Latinx students with the tools necessary to shatter barriers to their academic and professional success.
Each year, the Foundation impacts the lives of as many as 2,000 high school, college and graduate school students, as well as brave veterans, who live in underserved communities. Supporting Latinx—our nation’s largest ethnic minority—not only ensures that these outstanding young people have the opportunity to build their own American Dream, it also transforms the trajectory of their lives, empowering them to build a better future for their families and for us all—for generations to come!
While our first-generation Latinx students have always been disproportionately impacted by socio-economic disparities, never have these negative forces been as threatening as in the aftermath of COVID. Not only have the negative lingering effects of the pandemic jeopardized their education, but also their safety and security; their livelihood, and those of their entire family and support system—the very future they are working so hard to build.
But additional support from our generous and committed network of partners has enabled the TELACU Education Foundation to serve as a safety net for these tenacious, resilient students. Our Team is in constant communication with them and is delivering all supportive services virtually. We have increased scholarship awards, provided critical connectivity devices and accessories, and distributed Emergency Relief funds to cover costs such as Wi-Fi, tuition payments that students could not defer, rent, utilities, food, and essential household supplies.
Thanks to your generous investments, our 2022-23 TELACU Scholars have been able to successfully navigate their way through this ever-changing environment. They have continued to persist and to thrive, maintaining and in some instances even exceeding historic achievements. This year, 99.5% of our high school students graduated and almost without exception can now be found on college and university campuses both locally and across our nation. More than 99% of our college seniors earned at minimum their Bachelor’s. Of these degrees, 75% were in a STEM- or Business-related discipline, and more than 60% were earned by women!
Today, an army of well over 15,000 TELACU Scholar Alumni stretches across our nation and beyond. They can be found mitigating health care disparities as doctors, nurses, and administrators; innovating solutions as researchers and engineers in cutting-edge laboratories such as NASA/JPL, CalTech, Harvard and MIT; and diverse leaders crusading for equality and justice—from the boardroom to the courtroom! They are the gifted and committed Change Makers who continue making America—a nation founded on the hopes and dreams of immigrants—the greatest nation on Planet Earth!
On behalf of the entire TELACU Familia, thank you for joining us in our mission of Building the Dream—a dream that can only be realized because of partners…like you!
¡Muchísimas gracias!
Dr. David C. Lizárraga
Chairman & Founder