Meet Alberto Esparza of Si Se Puede Foundation in Chandler and Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alberto Esparza.

Alberto, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I was young, I could see the disparity in educational opportunities and high dropout rates of minority students. It was something I couldn’t ignore. Eventually, I left my previous employment career to follow my heart and to make my dreams a reality. In 1993, I founded the Si Se Puede Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides programs to improve the quality of life of children & families and strengthen communities. SSPF focuses on school and risk factors that are barriers to educational achievement and primarily serve low-income, predominately minority communities in Chandler and Phoenix. I wanted to inspire others to see beyond their neighborhoods, to plant seeds of purpose and ambition in young minds, to build bridges and tear down the walls that divide communities and to use my talents and skills to be part of the solution.

During the SSPF’s infancy stage, I spent my life savings to keep the programs afloat and as a result, experienced severe financial hardship. I remember sleeping in borrowed offices, traveling on foot from school to school and riding buses from community to community to serve schools and the community.

In 1998, I became interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, and spent two years developing a curriculum, long before STEM became a household word. My efforts led to the city of Chandler awarding the foundation of a grant to establish a STEM program in Chandler Unified School District (CUSD). The program began with eight students and now serves approximately 350 students from Chandler, Phoenix and Tempe and between the ages of 8-22. The program includes; land, air and sea robots as well as a university underwater program that has received national and worldwide attention.

Today, SSPF hosts annual underwater robotics competitions for elementary and college students and most recently created a university underwater robotics team which recently placed number 1 in the U.S. and 3rd in the world.

The foundation’s efforts in making STEM programs available to Title 1 Schools and unrepresented youth are well documented in the cities of Chandler, Mesa and Phoenix, AZ.

The foundation’s success can be attributed to Is our ability to recognize the importance of cultivating relationships for the common good of the organization and for the community we serve. It is our caring for others that inspire and motivate us to work with limited resources and as hard as we do. We can plant seeds of purpose and ambition in young minds that make students see beyond the barrios and/or at risk communities. We can place the needs of others ahead of our own needs that separate us from others. Our success is due to the students, parents, community partners, mentors and staff that have made us what we are today; the number 1 STEM program in the nation.

Has it been a smooth road?
Many times our challenges have been insurmountable. The greatest challenges have always been a misunderstanding of my journey and access to funding. But, you persevere, you pray a lot and hope that tomorrow will be a better day. It is the journey that defines you and your belief in God that will guide you through the most difficult times of your life. Mother Teresa said, No matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your work.” and I live by my drum and that wonderful quote.

Please tell us about your organization.
We also are known for cultivating relationships for the common good of the organization and the community. It is our caring for others that inspire and motivate us to work with limited resources and as hard as we do. We can plant seeds of purpose and ambition in young minds and make them see beyond the barrios and/or at risk communities. We can place the needs of others ahead of our own.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I like best about my city is the partnership with the Chandler Unified School District(CUSD). They are simply the best! Without the CUSD we are an agency in search of a CUSD!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sisepuedefoundation.org
• Phone: (480) 310-2018
• Email: als1723@aol.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SiSePuedeFoundation
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/als1723
• Other:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alberto-esparza

Image Credit:
Keith Kagen for the wonderful photos.

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