Opening Doors. Unlocking Potential.

In my home, we have a large mirror that is older than I am. On another wall, we have a portrait of my parents on their wedding day and a librero, or bookshelf, with three books on it: a fairytale, an adventure book, and an autobiography. Now these are not actual books on a literal bookshelf but the stories they hold are very real.

Une cuento de hadas

As a young girl, my favorite fairytale was always the one on the bookshelf. My parents wrote it and would often read it to me as a bedtime story. It begins with a young girl, age 19, living in Mexico who would go out to dance with her five sisters and two older brothers. One night she met a young man who was out with his friends and his motorcycle. They instantly clicked and danced all night. A few days later, they saw each other again and once more after that. On that third "date" the man asked her to marry him, promising to return in a few weeks. She agreed but her familia was skeptical about his promise. Surprisingly, after two weeks he returned and asked for her hand in marriage. She agreed. Neither of them having graduated high school, they left their home, their town, and their country. They moved to El Paso, rich in Mexican culture, so it felt like they never left home. There, they married and became legal citizens. A few years later, they opened a Mexican restaurant called Tejas Cafe. In the years that followed the woman gave birth to two babies: Jesse and a year later Erica.

Una Aventura

Once I was born I became one of the many co-authors of the second book on the shelf, the adventure book. Ten years after giving birth to her first two children the woman unexpectedly gave light to another niña. By this time, the family lived in a mobile home on the far east side of town, the desert. Within a few years the two older children began high school, something the father never completed and the mother never entered. They were busy working at the restaurant, attending family gatherings, and cheering at track meets, volleyball, basketball and football games. On top of all that, teaching their youngest how to write her name seemed to be the most challenging task of all. After graduating from high school Jesse, with a baby on the way, would go on to achieve an associate’s degree while Erica would no longer continue her education.

La autobiografía de Jessica

The third book is my autobiography but no one has had the chance to read it yet. It begins with a short summary of my childhood. I am currently working on the chapter titled “Senior Year"; the following is an excerpt. I am a senior in high school and my entire life I have pushed myself to become the best student I can possibly be. I have excelled academically and followed in my siblings’ footsteps by joining several sports along with various clubs and organizations. My parents have always encouraged me to do well in my studies so that one day I can attend college. This has now become my most important goal. Making it to medical school has become my dream. Can you imagine how great that would be? Being the first in your family to attend a university. I not only want to do this for myself but to positively influence my two nephews and niece. I want to prove to them and myself that no matter where you come from you can reach whatever goal you set for yourself. I want to give back to my community and what better way than becoming someone they can look to for help. A doctor. All of these dreams and aspirations have become a part of my life. Everything I do now is to hopefully make this list of dreams a list of accomplishments.

The bookshelf, only having three books on it, is my favorite part of home. I can always turn to them when I am feeling stressed or just need a good read. Perhaps someday it’ll have other autobiographies, adventure books, or even my own fairytale. These books are the foundation for my life and my goals. My current goal: to attend college. This is something I will work hard to make a reality.

We are the Navarro Family and our son Yadai is a scholar in The Challenge Foundation in Phoenix.

Yadai started his journey in the fall of 2014 when his 4th grade teacher called our home to tell us that our son had been nominated for a scholarship. We were ecstatic with excitement and overjoyed that our son had gotten an opportunity for such a great education. I think it is safe to say that most, if not every, parent wants what is best for their child. As parents, we would like for our sons to become good citizens that contribute to society and make a difference in their communities. We would like them to be successful academically and be presented with better opportunities than those that were available to us. We don't want our barriers to be their barriers; and though our knowledge and resources are limited, we are trying to do everything in our power for them to have better opportunities. We understand that education is the key to success and a brighter future.

Many times when you grow up in a low-income family or with certain disadvantages, there is a high chance that you will dropout of school or have a negative life outcome before you get a chance at a better life. The Challenge Foundation has helped us believe that this outcome can be changed and their scholars don’t need to be part of the statistics.

Challenge Foundation not only ensures that Yadai, and the other scholars, are presented with the opportunity to have an outstanding education, but they also give him plenty of opportunities to develop life and social skills that prepare him for the real world.

Challenge Foundation, in partnership with All Saints Episcopal Day School, instills values in him that challenge him to become the best version of himself. Through Challenge Foundation’s generosity Yadai has been able to participate in summer programs, different art, cultural and sporting events that otherwise we wouldn't be able to afford.

Challenge is committed to teaching every scholar the importance of community service and teaches them the valuable lesson of giving back to their community and those who are in need. Two years ago, Challenge Foundation became aware of some challenges that our family was going through. They didn’t hesitate to help our family in finding safe housing. Thanks to their prompt response and their support, our family was able to move to a healthy and safe place where we were able to regain our health and our son was able to focus on what was really important, his education.

For our family, The Challenge Foundation is the perfect example of kindness, selflessness, generosity and humility. It represents hope for a better future for our son and the other families that are fortunate to be in the program. We cannot think of a better organization and partner to help us, as parents, to guide and help our son on his journey to obtain a higher education and fulfill his dream of becoming an attorney, and in the process be the first member of our family to graduate from college and obtain a degree.

We are extremely grateful that The Challenge Foundation has believed in our son and is providing not only an education and resources to unlock his potential, but is also giving him hope, perspective, purpose and the opportunity to dream and work for a better and brighter future.

Thank you Don and Janis McFall and The Challenge Foundation for truly making a difference in our lives.