Jesus

Raised by two immigrant parents, Jesus learned what it meant to be independent earlier than most youth his age. During elementary school in San Francisco, Jesus and his family were evicted from their Tenderloin apartment, and Jesus was sent to Mexico to live with his elderly grandparents. In the eighth grade, Jesus returned to the United States and was placed in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. When Jesus turned fifteen, he was pressured to drop out of school and work, but he remembered the conditions of his family and knew that education could have a huge impact on his financial future He decided to stay in school and compete to be one of the best students.

In 2007, during his sophomore year in high school, Jesus joined the Juma Ventures team where he demonstrated his outstanding leadership skills and drive. He participated in all the activities offered including tutoring and financial literacy classes. He attended many sessions about money management, not even realizing that he was investing in his own future. During this time, he opened up two savings accounts, including one that would be specifically for his college savings. In 2008, Jesus opened his matched savings account with Juma Ventures and began saving for college regularly with money he made as one of the top vendors at Juma's ball park concession stands.

After being accepted into UC Santa Cruz as a potential Sociology major, Jesus has gained the self-confidence and motivation that he needs to continue to save and succeed without excuses. With his matched savings account helping to assure that he can complete his degree, Jesus is proud to know that he will break the family cycle of poverty by obtaining an education.

UPDATE: As of fall 2009, Jesus is in his first semester at UC Santa Cruz, having made his first matched withdrawal to pay a portion of his tuition and purchase books.