The road to El Paso Shortly before she graduated from college, Keisha Branch, High School Coordinator and Border Fellows Assistant for Ciudad Nueva, made a decision that would have a lasting effect on her faith and her career: She chose to complete her internship at a refugee center. “I fell in love with the work and wanted to continue working with refugees, asylum-seekers, and other people who are marginalized,” Keisha says. “I grew up in poverty and as a person of color, so I have been marginalized myself.” After graduation, Keisha decided to apply to the Border Fellows program at Ciudad … [Read more...]
Youth Program Graduate Returns Home to Give Back
From El Paso to Rhode Island ... When Karina Hernandez was in high school, she went from wanting to be a pastry chef when she grew up wanting to be a doctor. At that time, Karina was a participant in Ciudad Nueva’s Catalyst Job Training and College Preparatory Program, which exposes high school students to different career options by introducing them to professionals from various career paths. “A lot of doctors came in,” Karina says, “and that sparked my interest in medicine.” After graduating from high school and from the youth programs at Ciudad Nueva, Karina moved to Providence, Rhode … [Read more...]
“Don’t Let Anyone Look Down on You Because You Are Young”
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12, NIV) If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times: We simply could not do the work we do here at Ciudad Nueva without our amazing network of volunteers and community members. They share their gifts and build relationships with one another each and every day. In fact, at its core, Ciudad Nueva is this network of people. And what a diverse network it is! We especially love the fact that Ciudad Nueva is an … [Read more...]
Reflecting on the Old, Looking Forward to the New in 2019
What community goals did we meet last year, and what will we be working on in 2019? The turning of the calendar from the old year to a new is the perfect time to reflect on where we are in our personal lives, and it’s a great time to look back on what we’ve accomplished as an organization as well. There’s always so much more work to be done, but we’re truly amazed and grateful that we have truly done some incredible things this year! It’s all through the hard work and dedication of our neighbors, staff members, volunteers, and partners. In our main program areas, these are some of … [Read more...]
It’s the Most Giving Time of the Year
We are so grateful for each and every volunteer who has come through our doors over the years. Each person brings their own unique gifts and experiences to share with our wonderful downtown neighborhood. They might not live here with us, but they become part of our community as we bond together in meeting needs and mentoring young people. Even the best volunteers have to move on from time to time, so we are always looking for new volunteers in El Paso who would like to have an impact on their community and get to know some really great people. Most of our volunteers say they equally enjoy … [Read more...]
