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Project's staff full of experience
 Media Credit: Sharon K. Sobotta/Senior Staff Writer Alba and Eric Sanchez, mother and son, are both a part of Project Vida in El Paso, Texas. Their family moved to El Paso from Juarez, Mexico, 15 years ago.
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At Project Vida not only can one find health care, low income housing, teen programs, senior citizen exercise groups and a full staff, one can also find a staff full of people with an assortment of empowering and unique life experiences.
Alba Sanchez, who works with community members waiting for low-income housing and with maintenance issues, has been a part of the project for the past three years. Although Alba's job is administratively oriented, she finds it rewarding to be able to work with clients.
"A lot of times tenants have enough confidence to tell me about their problems with their sons or daughters or to tell me they don't know how to read, so I can help them," Alba said.
Alba can empathize with the families who are struggling to find their place in El Paso, as she and her family moved from Juarez 15 years ago, when her son, Eric was old enough to start kindergarten.
"When it was time for Eric to start school, he told me he'd like to learn English so he could understand his cousin who was born here, in the United States," Alba said. "We thought it would be a great opportunity for us to bring up our family in El Paso."
Alba and her family have found opportunities, but it hasn't been easy. Alba entered the country with a very limited English ability and started out working as a housekeeper.
"I went to school to get my associates degree but it was very hard for me cause I didn't speak English and all the classes were in English," Alba said.
Alba entered El Paso on a resident permit in 1988 and nearly a decade later in 1997, became a naturalized citizen. Although her job at Project Vida provides health insurance, she was forced to raise her children without health insurance. Nevertheless, she continues to worry about them.
"When my children were younger, I always stayed with them to see what was right and what was wrong, but now that they're older they have to decide for themselves," Alba said.
Alba's 16-year-old daughter Layla is active in school as a member of the cheerleading squad and the orchestra and her 20-year-old son Eric is an Americorps maintenance worker at Project Vida. Her next goal is to improve her English even further for the sake of her children.
"I want to use my scholarship (that Americorps provided) to take an intensive English course, because my parents speak both English and Spanish," Alba said.
Alba's son Eric thinks his mom's goal is extremely important.
"It's important because she'll need to speak well if she wants to get ahead," Eric said. "When she speaks sometimes she gets nervous and stutters and I remind her just to relax and she'll be fine."
Although Eric's salary is minimal, he enjoys the work he does.
"The only bad part of an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job is the 8 a.m.," Eric said with a smile on his face.
Eric and his mom both expressed concern about the illegal immigrants in El Paso.
"My friend, who has been my best friend since the third grade, is an illegal immigrant and he was sent to prison for five years for providing false identification (as providing his real name could have gotten him deported)," Eric said.
When Eric's friend was arrested he was searched and charged for possessing cocaine. The friend will be deported after he gets out of prison.
"It sucks, cause there's nothing you can do about it," Eric said. "After my friend is out, he'll be sent back to Mexico, but he'll come back because his mom is here."
For people like Eric's friend, who cannot legally work, the concept of the American dream through hard work is more of an ideology than a reality. This makes it easier to go off the "right" path. Alba shares many of Eric's concerns about illegal immigrants.
"I worry about the people who are illegal here, they can't develop anything here," Alba said. "I think they feel bad and are scared of border patrol (who are constantly roaming the neighborhoods of El Paso)."
Although Eric has a fairly clean record, he has become accustomed to being searched by police officers each time he is checked for a routine traffic violation or on occasion when he is driving his car late at night. He even had the experience of being held at gun point.
"I think when they (police) see my car (a white Chevrolet with tinted windows), they think I have money," Eric said.
These experiences have not deterred Eric from his lifetime goal of becoming a police officer.
"I'd be a good cop," Eric said. "The things I've been through would help me understand (and empathize with) the people I'd work with."
Sharon K. Sobotta can be reached at: [email protected]
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