PIQE was founded with a clear mission: to equip families with the knowledge and skills to actively partner with schools and communities, ensuring that their children reach their full potential. Throughout this journey, we’ve had the privilege of witnessing countless transformations— stories of resilience, determination, and self-improvement. Today, we would like to share a couple of those stories with you.

Alicia Miguel captured the attention of one of our Associate Directors from the very first day she attended a workshop. The AD noticed that Alicia was carefully photographing every single slide of the presentation. It wasn’t until later that the AD learned the powerful reason behind this: Alicia couldn’t read. In fact, she could barely speak Spanish—she spoke a dialect.

At home, Alicia would share the photos with her daughter, asking her to translate the slides for her. Selene, her daughter, was struggling at school, and it was taking a toll on her self-esteem. Driven by love and determination, Alicia knew she had to do something to help.

She came to PIQE with the hope that she could find the tools and the knowledge to support her daughter through these challenges. Alicia’s journey is one of deep courage, resilience, and the relentless desire to create a better future for her family.

In search of a brighter future for her family, Carmen Arias crossed the mountains between Mexico and the United States in the dead of night, with four young children in tow and pregnant with her fifth. Her story is one of hardship, the kind we see in movies: fear, hunger, cold, and a grueling journey in a trailer. Eventually, she made it to Northern California, where she settled and began working as a house cleaner.

After hours of cleaning windows, bathrooms, and floors, she would come home exhausted but determined to stay involved in her children’s lives. There was one major challenge, though: Carmen didn’t speak the language and didn’t understand the U.S. educational system. At times, she felt frustrated and uncertain, wondering if she would be able to send her children to college. But giving up was never an option. Carmen decided to seek help; that’s how she came to PIQE.

Today, four of her five children are college graduates. Her youngest, a Stanford graduate, is now pursuing a master’s degree at Berkeley. Carmen’s perseverance and dedication have transformed her family’s future, proving that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.

As we continue this important work, we ask for your support to help us reach even more families like Alicia’s and Carmen’s as they pursue their dreams. Families like theirs are not just seeking education— they’re seeking hope, opportunity, and a future where their children can thrive. Your support can create lasting change. This holiday season, we invite you to make a difference by donating to PIQE at: https://givingday.piqe.org/

*The photos above feature Carmen Arias, who arrived in this country with four of her children when they were young, pregnant with her fifth. The second image captures her children as adults, a testament to their journey and achievements.