Immokalee student breaks poverty cycle with Guadalupe Center's support

WINK News recently got an exclusive look inside the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee, where the mission is to break the cycle of poverty through education. With their biggest fundraiser of the year just weeks away, the impact of the center's work is evident in the journey of one student, Angel Soriano Reyes.

Inside the Guadalupe Center, students are shown what their futures can look like with the right support.

"Even if I wanted to go to college, how much that would be, like the financial burden on me and my family. And I felt it was really tough. Like I see my brother every day, stressed about it, day in and day out. And I feel like that was really what made an impact on me," said Angel Soriano Reyes, a student at the center.

Reyes has been a part of the Guadalupe Center almost his entire life, following the path his older brother once took.

"It was good at times, but it was also hard because being his brother, I had to fill those shoes. I felt the most important thing was being my own person, which really took me a long time to really embrace and to think about and to make my own path," said Reyes.

With the center's help, Reyes has been accepted into the University of Central Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University, with dreams of becoming an engineer.

"Joining the Guadalupe really helped me, like, relax and calm down about that. As they've been helping me through every step of my journey, financially and anything I need help, advice, and even a shoulder to lean on whenever I need it," said Reyes.

Daniel Martinez, the Director of the High School Tutor Corps, has witnessed Reyes' transformation firsthand.

"He was unsure of himself. Yes, he was helping, but he's always doubting his decisions. And now he's so much more confident in the person he's become. So, he's like the young professional who you not only want to see succeed, you know he's going to succeed," said Martinez.

Dawn Montecalvo, President of the Guadalupe Center, emphasized the importance of their mission.

"For a student that has been probably told most of his life, he's not gonna go to college. You're gonna work in the fields or you're gonna get a skilled labor. He sees the future from what we've been able to show him through our tutor corps program. He knows he can fulfill his dreams if he works hard and it gets the education that he needs," said Montecalvo.

The support for students like Reyes is largely funded by the center’s annual Elevate Gala, set for January 16. This event helps open doors for more than 2,000 students in Immokalee.