Promise Zone Residents Taking Advantage of Programs Available to Advance Careers

Alexandrea Villanueva, a resident in the Promise Zone

Alexandrea Villanueva, a resident in the Promise Zone, is on an extraordinary journey. After having her first child, Alexandrea decided to put her foot forward and create a better life for her, her husband and their new daughter.

“I want to do better. I want to do better for her. I want to do better for my husband. I want to do better for my life,”. the recent HPOG graduate said.

Villanueva scored outstanding in her entry exam and chose her path to a medical assistant. Having worked in an emergency shelter for abused children, a medical assistant seemed to be the right fit for her. Alexandrea worked hard to complete her ultimate goal of graduating having no days off from the months of November to April. Her schedule consisted of having class Monday through Friday and working on the weekends. All the hard work culminated with a national certification on April 23rd.

While telling us her story, Villanueva added, “I would have never imagined I would be where I am at today.”

While taking classes and working for those months, Alexandrea took advantage of Dual Generation's Child Care Program. With the program, she was able to put her daughter in day care. “It made it a lot easier.”, the new mother said in regard to how much the program benefited her.

A program requirement is to complete a 120-hour externship. Alexandrea completed hers at the Skinner Health Clinic in downtown San Antonio. While in her externship the staff noticed how great she was with the patients and other co-workers. After completion she was quickly offered a position to stay on as a permanent employee.

The Eastside Education and Training Center, or EETC for short, offers various food distribution programs as well. Not only did she take part but also volunteered to distribute food to other families in the Promise Zone. She is not shy to help and give back to a community that has given her so much. EETC helps residents to attain entry-level occupation skills and increase technical skills to connect to jobs or higher education opportunities. Info sessions are held every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. For more info call 210-485-0852 or visit here.

We asked what was next for Alexandrea. She told us she was enrolled at St. Phillip's College completing her last two pre-requisites for the Invasive Cardiovascular Program. “I am not going to stop here. I am going to keep going.”, she said.

Because of the many beneficial programs in the Promise Zone, Alexandrea Villanueva is helping break the cycle. We need more young and strong-minded individuals like her to step up and do the same. When asked what she would tell someone with doubts she simply said, “Take advantage of the opportunity. You will surprise yourself. I was in that seat once.” She added, “I am proud of myself.”