Hidden Gems: Meet Luis Antezana Alba of Juntos 2 College

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Antezana Alba.

Hi Luis, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia. When I was seven, my parents made the difficult decision to migrate to the United States. So in January 2000, my parents, brothers, and I landed in Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). My tia (aunt) and her family hosted us for a few months until my parents could get on their feet. That time came and we lived in a one-bedroom apartment for a few years until we moved into a two-bedroom apartment. The streets of Northeast LA were rough. I grew up in Highland Park and attended the local public schools there. As a way to stay off the streets and out of trouble, I kept my head in the books and in sports. Because of this, I never questioned my status or what flying to the U.S on a tourist visa meant. This all changed when my Senior year at Franklin High School came along and I realized I was undocumented. This changed my entire trajectory in life. Though initially devastated, my college counselor at Franklin would print out for me any scholarships that helped undocumented students. This kept me moving forward. I was fortunate to receive a full-ride scholarship to Cal State LA and while in college, I was able to receive DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a temporary work permit that allowed me to see the light after graduation. Cal State LA and DACA changed my life.

After being politically active and engaged throughout college (both off and on-campus), I decided to continue my impact in social change as an educator through Teach For America. As I was getting ready to be the first person in my family to graduate from college, I landed a teaching position at Harrison High School in Colorado Springs, and that’s where I found myself for three years as a Language Arts and AVID teacher for English language learners. It was the most amazing and rewarding professional experience in my life up to that point. The Southeast Colorado Springs community will forever hold a special place in my heart. So many wonderful and resilient families and students make up that community. Unfortunately, teacher burnout was real for me and I decided to make some moves. I knew that I wanted to continue impacting students through college, specially my undocumented students.

That’s when I moved to Denver and joined ranks as the Denver Scholarship Foundation College Advisor at Abraham Lincoln High School (ALHS). For three years, I led Senior classes at ALHS. This where I gained my expertise on supporting all students to college (including four years, two years, and trade schools) and developed my unique knowledge along with my lived experience helping undocumented students through alternative post-secondary pathways.

In the middle of all that, in October 2019 to be exact, I had the idea of creating a mobile application that helped undocumented students through the college application and financial aid process. I thought I was crazy, but then I got 2nd place at a TechStars EdTech Weekend Competition that gave me the validation to keep going. The pandemic hit, and that’s when I realized that my idea had to become reality “now more than ever”. It was at that point that I found myself working two jobs, my actual job and then my passion project.

I almost can’t believe that it will almost be two years since the inception of this idea. It’s been an extremely busy time, with an incredible amount of valuable lessons. I’ve been very fortunate to find myself leading teams of equity-minded software developers, UX/UI designers, attorneys and paralegals, and educators to realize this platform and create social change. It is truly amazing to say that I am now full-time with my venture, Juntos 2 College, where we match first-time DACA applicants with our upward mobility team that covers their application and legal fees and prepares them for college access, starting their own side hustle to earn income legally, and/or entering the workforce. It has been a dream come true. Tough, of course, but worth every breath I take.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. Prior to DACA, I remember looking over my shoulder constantly while driving because I wasn’t allowed to have a driver’s license. Living undocumented usually means living with an unhealthy level of anxiety. This was very true for me. Even after I received DACA, I had to jump through so many hurdles in getting hired as a teacher because school districts had no clue how to move forward with my paperwork given that it looked different. Having DACA, my documents don’t look like anyone else’s. They are labeled. And this throw’s people and systems off to the point where ignorance and miseducation force people like me to not get hired or have such a traumatic hiring experience that we feel like we don’t belong here. I think it’s much better now, a lot more people are aware of DACA and educated on the hiring process but these things definitely affected my level of confidence that I belong in this country.

As a Latinx brown male educator and entrepreneur, I’ve definitely struggled with impostor syndrome as well. Being the first in my family to go into the professional spaces that I’ve gone to can feel very isolating. In the tech industry, Latinxs make up a very small percentage. And for people of color in general, data shows that we get less than 10% of all investments per year. It’s even less for women of color. However, every day I meet more and more amazing educators and entrepreneurs of color in tech. It’s really an honor to be a trailblazer of sorts and it has kept me going.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Juntos 2 College?
Juntos 2 College (Juntos means together) is a non-profit organization that offers services for A) students who are undocumented and B) high school counselors, colleges, and HR resources groups. What sets us apart is that we are building the biggest pipeline for DACA recipients to access upward mobility. Our vision is for every high school graduate to have access to upward economic mobility, including undocumented immigrants. We are doing this by matching first-time DACA applications with our upward mobility team who covers the application and legal fees, and prepares them for college access, entrepreneurship, and workforce entry. We also educate them on how to become a homeowner and how to build credit as a way to have a clear picture of what is at stake in the near future so when they receive their work permit, they are on stride to fulfilling their dreams.

What’s important to note is that we also support students who are not eligible for DACA. The reality is that most undocumented students don’t qualify for DACA because of its strict criteria. However, their future is still bright. In Colorado and in many states, undocumented students are eligible for state financial aid for college, and they are able to start their own LLCs. We invite these students to our Upward Mobility team to gain guidance and training on how to enroll in college or start their business to earn income legally.

Lastly, we train educators and executive/HR leaders on how to better support their undocumented students through alternative post-secondary pathways or DACA employees through recruitment and retentation processes. For us, this is intentional so that we can create the biggest hiring pipeline for DACA recipients and expand our impact by equipping our educators and industry leaders with tools to advance our very own vision of upward mobility for our students. We have a menu of student success implementation for school leaders that includes understanding DACA, Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN), earning income through entrepreneurship, workforce entry for DACA recipients, and college and financial aid. For industry leaders, executives, and HR resource groups we offer consultation services to recruit, hire, and retain DACA employees, including how to build an inclusive work culture that supports DACA employees and their DACA renewal process. The talent of our DACA community is undeniable and we want to walk hand in hand with industries to hire the best. What’s great is that our services for school and industry leaders help us cover the costs of getting our undocumented students through our platform. We all pay it forward.

I am so proud of the work we are doing because it is by and for the undocumented community. My community has been impacted in so many different ways, and now it’s time to institutionalize support for immigrants looking for a better life. Whether from Asia, Africa, Europe, Central or South America, or anywhere else on earth, immigrants have always survived in this country. We have thrived. In that spirit, Juntos 2 College is here to help take our immigrant youth to the next level, to inspire hope, and help them access upward mobility.

What I want readers to know is that, if you are a funder, consider investing in our social impact work. We are growing, and we can grow our impact faster with your financial support. Juntos (together), we can build the biggest hiring pipeline for DACA recipients to access upward mobility. If you are a school or industry leader who wants to ensure your staff is adequately trained to support all students and employees, including undocumented and DACA-mented people, connect with us for dates and rates. If you know an immigrant student or family who may benefit from our services, please share our link with them.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson has been knowing how to focus and channel my energy to be able to realize this dream. There have been so many negative factors that could be reasons why I choose not to continue this work. But my community and family has kept me grounded and advised me to focus on what I can control. Channeling my focus on what I can control has allowed me to transcend through my own self-doubt and allowed me to unlock the power that’s always been in me. Lastly, kindness goes a long way. 🙂

Contact Info:

• Email: juntos2college@gmail.com
• Website: www.juntos2college.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Juntos-2-College-103446375075437
• Other: https://forms.gle/53tqQMjfwFyJeRbG8