Raised by a single mother in a poverty-stricken Texan town, Jose saw how hard his mom worked to eventually find them government housing rather than continuing to live in his grandmother’s mobile home. Despite having their own apartment, the poor housing conditions were a shock, leading Jose to vow to change these conditions for families like his own. He says: “I aspire to become a real estate developer to provide affordable housing in peaceful environments for families in need. I believe all hard-working families deserve to have a safe, comfortable home that can satisfy their needs. I know what it is like to feel when there is no hope for a future. I know it, I have lived it, and now, I want to change it. I am ready to give back.”
Jose is a dreamer and entrepreneur and sees real estate opportunities everywhere he goes, interning with a real estate developer in Texas and also with the Greater Waukegan Development Coalition. He transferred to Cristo Rey his senior year to live with his father and seek better opportunities as the only male in his family. Immediately, he immersed himself in working with local homeless charities in Chicago, mentoring middle school children, working at the food bank, and serving as a translator for those in need.
