A COMMUNITY BUILDER

A GUY WALKED UP TO EVERARDO AMAYA when he was visiting his old school, Eastfield College Pleasant Grove campus, and asked a question. He said, “Hey, how do you go here?”

Amaya took 20 minutes to explain the concept of community college and brought him to speak with a counselor.

“What you say to someone can eventually turn into something great, or it can break their spirit,” he says.

Words matter.

Amaya graduated from the University of North Texas at Dallas in 2014 with a degree in nonprofit management. He was brought to the United States from Durango, Mexico when he was 13.

Now 25, Amaya works as a program coordinator at Habitat for Humanity. He has that privilege because of Obama’s executive action.

“My parents would always tell me that the only way out of the struggle of being an immigrant is education, so I took that to heart,” he says.

Success Starts Here.

demic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

Holy Trinity Catholic School

3815 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas 214-526-5113, htcsdallas.org For more than 100 years, Holy Trinity Catholic School, has been committed to the religious, intellectual, emotional, social and physical growth of each student. This commitment is carried out in a nurturing atmosphere with an emphasis on social awareness, service to others, and religious faith in the Catholic tradition.

Bishop Dunne Catholic School

Contact: Charleen Doan at 214.339.6561 ext. 4020 or admission@bdcs.org

A co-educational, college preparatory school serving students in grades 6-12. We provide a strong faith and valuebased education with high academic standards, encouraging all students to achieve their full potential. Our curriculum emphasizes individualized attention, and is constantly at the forefront of technology integration through the use of laptops, ebooks, and our Online Education Program. Additionally, we provide a full range of extracurricular activities ranging from athletics, to the arts, to clubs and service organizations.

Lakehill Preparatory School

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep.org Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s aca-

The Immaculate Heart Program at Holy Trinity School was initiated to fully realize our school’s mission of developing the whole child by meeting the needs of one of the most underserved and underperforming groups in catholic schools, children with dyslexia.

Join us for Open House Nov. 15th 8:30-11 a.m.

ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

4019 S. Hampton Rd. Dallas 75224/ 214.331.5139 / www.saintspride.com

At St. Elizabeth of Hungary, our fundamental task is the education of the whole child -- combining learning with faith, Catholic doctrines and moral teachings. We introduce all PK3-8th Grade students to the integrated ways of STEM. This approach to education is designed to revolutionize the teaching of subject areas such as mathematics and science by incorporating technology and engineering into regular curriculum. Over the past 10 years, 95% of St. Elizabeth 8th graders were accepted to their first choice high school. Join us for an informational school tour and see for yourself how easy it is to become a Saint! Call 214.331.5139 for information.

Before the deferred action, Amaya had to turn down job offers and scholarships.

Once he received a work permit, however, his life changed.

He received an academic scholarship to UNT Dallas. He did an internship and took a fulltime job right after graduation, none of which would’ve been possible otherwise. He now lives comfortably in Oak Cliff, but it’s never far from mind that all this could be temporary.

Amaya has an 18-year-old sister who could sponsor him for citizenship when she’s 21. And he could eventually marry his boyfriend, who is a U.S. citizen.

In the meantime, he helps build communities with Habitat for Humanity. He volunteers to read to elementary school children through Reading Partners. He can’t vote, but he volunteers with LULAC campaigns to register voters. Amaya says his dream in life is to be a part of breaking the cycles of poverty.

“I’m a product of all this opportunity that we’ve brought to southern Dallas,” he says. “I try to pay it forward.”