Joel and Levi at graduation from Lassen Community College in Susanville, California, May, 2023.
I first became acquainted with the Vasquez family in 2015. The family was comprised of a single mother, Maria, a former university professor and professional, and two teenage boys, Joel and Levi. Both boys lost their father to liver cancer at a very young age and they were raised almost entirely by their other. At that time, conditions for them in Venezuela were dire. Given the crisis in their home country, economic collapse and hyper inflation, food and money to purchase it were scarce, and homes were being were being confiscated by political thugs. At the time, many boys their age in their neighborhood were being recruited into gangs where they lived in Meridia In 2016 I paid for their flights to Bogota, Colombia and resettlement costs. There the boys were able to enroll in a good high school and complete their education, which would have been impossible in Venezuela at the time, and were able to get a toe hold in a welcoming community.
As both boys grew up largely without a father, in time, I sort of became a surrogate uncle to both of them offering guidance and support where I could.
Both boys were soccer players, and as they approached the end of their high school years, a friend and I introduced them to a soccer coach and recruiter who was Colombian. On a recruiting trip, he met with the family and a connection was formed. A short while later, he got a job as the head coach at a small California Community college, and wanted to offer both boys a spot on his team. They would have a shot at a US education.
Through the efforts of myself and several others moved by their story, we were able to raise enough money for visas, travel, tuition and housing, and get them launched. That was in the fall of 2021 when they were registered at Lassen Community College in Susanville, California and competed in varsity soccer. It was a life changing experience for them. In the Spring of 2023, both boys graduated. Joel, with honors and a degree in Social Sciences, and Levi, who wishes to work in healthcare, and in fact interned as a technical nurse in Bogota, where he received commendations for his work, with an Allied Health degree.
Levi, Joel and Maria at Joel’s high school graduation in Bogota, 2019
Joel, Levi and Maria outside their apartment in Bogota, Colombia, 2023
Both were accepted into four year schools, each with some scholarship. Joel has been attending California State University at Chico where he graduated last spring with a degree in International Relations and presently starting in the MBA program there. Levi is presently at New York’s PACE University in their College of Health Professions going for his Masters in Public Health. His interest in healthcare was spurred by his father’s passing at a young age and wanting to understand more about how the body worked and about health equity, and better healthcare access.
Both boys are hard working, are honor society students and with a strong impetus to give back. Levi held down two internships last year, one with an organization which helps first generation Latino students achieve a college education, and the other as aa lab technician with a medical foundation, having already participated in a medical immersion camp with them, and where the doctors he worked alongside were struck by his innate empathy, sense of community, and understanding of the role these played in healthcare. He also found time to volunteer at a local community food bank where he translated for over 100 families per week. This past spring he also took graduate level courses, and this semester was awarded a prestigious internship with the Westchester Institute of Human Development, and just accepted into a fellowship in public health for 2026 in Washington DC.
Joel participated this past fall in the model United National Congress in Seattle where he gave a speech on the global migration crisis. He wishes to also get his master’s degree in Public Administration and hopes to work one day for a foundation or mission driven organization. During the pandemic, he worked at a local health clinic in Bogota as logistics manager, keeping the clinic running smoothly and soothing the fears of patients, providing support and guidance during a time of crisis. He is that sort of person. His interest are in policy, and mission driven work, but feels he wants to first focus on business. He is naturally entrepreneurial, working on a startup idea and writing a business plan.
Levi at Medical Immersion camp sponsored by the Orthopaedic Foundation in New York where he interned as a lab technician
Levi while assisting in delivery room at hospital in Chia, Colombia while in high school and interning as a technical nurse
While both boys received scholarships, they did not cover a sufficient amount of their tuition and living expenses. Through our small support group and network, we have managed to date to raise enough funds for their education costs and living expenses. A 501(c)3 not for profit, the Venezuelan America Endowment for the Arts (VAEA), https://vaearts.org/US/ has agreed to be our fiscal sponsor so we are able to take in funds at a tax benefit to donors and foundations.
That said, while we have raised most of the money for them and now with graduate school, we are facing some shortfalls and are in need of additional support to see them through. As mentioned, we do have a not for-profit fiscal sponsor through which we can intake funds at a tax benefit and therefore offer that to any donors.
We would welcome any thoughts or assistance, or connections to other who can be helpful. These are good kids who have come a long way and been through a lot. I have watched them fight for each inch of progress, while also maintaining their joy and optimism, which has been truly inspiring. We are hoping to be able to help them continue to transcend their circumstances, and perhaps even be models for what is possible for others from their country in similar circumstances.
We have two crowdfund campaigns:
One begun in 2021 at the start of their college journey:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-joel-and-levi-with-college
And the other, begun by the fiscal sponsor where contributions can be made at a tax benefit:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/college-education-for-two-exceptional-venezuelan-students
Contributions in their name can also be made directly to the fiscal sponsor at a tax benefit:
or by contacting
Adam Stoltman
(917) 592-1722