Success Story

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ETE was founded to help young people like, Joe Andrew Villavicencio, a first generation college student.  His parents are from Mexico and have only a high school diploma.  They know very little English and even less about preparing for college.  Joe was a very active student— President of Student Council, Who’s Who Among American High School Students and a volunteer for numerous organizations.  He did this while helping his parents raise his two younger brothers.

 

In spite of his accomplishments he was not prepared to attend college.  He needed guidance and information on college admissions and readiness.  A friend of Mr. Villavicencio knew this diligent young man needed help and introduced him to Joe Gordon, founder of ETE.

 

Joe asked Mr. Gordon with concern in his eyes, “What do I do next? I have no money to attend college?”  That statement touched Mr. Gordon heart in a special way because he remembers the struggles he went through to learn about and get funding for college.  What was more of a concern for Mr. Gordon was that Villavicencio did not have guidance at home, even though he had a mother and father.  They had never attended college and had moved from Mexico to make a better life for their children.  The Villavicencio family did not have anywhere to turn for this particular type of assistance.

 

Mr. Gordon and his team of volunteers helped Joe go to college.  The volunteers used their resources to assist Mr. Villavicencio in getting accepted to Texas Southern University as well as getting a scholarship.  Joe is now a senior and a business administration major, and has sustained a 3.6 GPA, while working part-time in a management program for a Fortune 500 company.