Why Chiapas?
Located at Mexico’s southern border, Chiapas has consistently been ranked the country’s poorest state. Although northern Mexico has developed at an impressive rate, the south of the country has not experienced the same growth.
In the indigenous and rural communities in Chiapas that Escalera works with, families live from subsistence farming and do not earn the legal minimum wage (4.60 USD). To help their parents, students have to work and dropout of school so they can contribute to their families’ income.
Why School
From a group of 100 students who start first grade, 68 will finish 9th grade, 35 will graduate from high school and only 8 will graduate from university. The students who do not graduate from high school, do not have access to the same opportunities their high school educated counterparts have.
When students aren’t in school they are not benefitting from the learning and experiences education can provide them with. There are various benefits to spending more time in school, both professional and personal. More years of school is associated with access to better and safer employment, more opportunities in the formal sector and higher wages. Students who stay in school are less vulnerable to addiction, start families when they are ready and have healthier and more educated children. It’s a cycle and we’re driving it.
Our Team
Maricriz Escalante Arroyo
From a rural community in Chiapas, Maricriz understands the importance of education and is excited to use her experience to create and implement educational programs that empower students in Southern Mexico. She keeps the team united, safe and inspired.
Director of Operations
Melissa Floca
Melissa is a mastermind behind our program’s design. Since 2017 she has advised Escalera in strategic planning, building key partnerships, and consolidating Escalera as a data-savvy organization. Melissa is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at the CICORE Division of the San Diego Supercomputer Center, and she is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Columbia Business School.
Strategic Advisor
Ann Garbett
Ann has been with Escalera from the beginning — helping take it from a small start-up to the well-respected actor it is today. With a PhD in Social Statistics, she is passionate about the human side of data and numbers.
Chief Financial Officer
Lourdes Jacqueline Gomez Cruz
Jacqueline found her passion for education working as a teacher in rural communities. She has a law degree and amazing attention to detail. An Escalera scholarship recipient herself, she’s lived education’s transformative power first hand. Today Jacky keeps Escalera’s accounting and management on point.
Accounting and Administrative Manager
Jose Victor Jimenez Lopez
Jose brings 4 years of experience working with rural teachers and schools in Chiapas. He is passionate about the education sector and helping the most underprivileged have access to education. José is a patient and committed go-to person for thousands of students, parents and teachers participating in Reach. He studied law in San Cristobal de las Casas.
REACH Coordinator
Lucio Gómez Sántiz
Lucio is the coach for the teachers running the Emprende program in their classrooms. As a social psychologist he enjoys promoting life skills for the youth in Chiapas. He has more than 10 years of experience using psychology as a tool for social transformation.
Emprende Coordinator
Ricardo Masahiro Solís Ichien
Masa is an economist with an interest in issues of education, poverty and well-being. He is passionate about working with data and using it to improve people’s quality of life. He studied a master’s degree in Economics at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching, A.C. (CIDE).
Monitoring and Evaluation Director
Yuridiana Urbina Ballinas
Diana is our storyteller and student engagement magician. With a background in psychology and social work, she is passionate about creating meaningful relationships with students and families. Diana has a gift for creating trust and empathy and she uses that to listen and support students. She makes it possible for our donors and partners to get to know the impact of their contributions.
Student advocate
Antelmo Rene Lopez Estrada
René is our organization’s repair and transportation guru. He keeps our vehicles running smoothly despite the heavy beatings they take on Chiapas’ rough mountain and jungle roads. He brings over fifteen years of experience working in San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
Logistics Coordinator
Liliana Peraza Ojeda
Liliana is the pedagogy champion in our team. She is originally from Tizimín, Yucatán, where she obtained her university degree in Education and a Master’s in Educational Research. Having been a teacher in indigenous communities she is well aware of the relevance of culture and linguistics. From this experience she is building learning pathways for teachers and students in Chiapas. Liliana holds a PhD in Sciences in Ecology and Sustainable Development.
Learning Units Coordinator
Eva González Méndez
Eva is a trilingual (Tzeltal, tzotzil and Spanish) psychologist. She was an Educational Community instructor at CONAFE and lived in a community in the highlands of Chiapas. She uses her passion and skills to introduce and support students, parents and teachers throughout their experience with Escalera’s programs.
Reach Program Assistant
Antonio de Jesús Lara
Antonio is a fresh graduate from Accounting. Borned and raised in San Cristobal de las Casas. He has a heart for book-keeping and maintaining transparency in our management. He is a believer that education is an experience every youth should have and enjoy.
Administrative and Accounting Assistant
Patricia Gómez Pérez
Paty is from the community of Chulna Tenango, Ocosingo. Ever since Paty was little she saw the efforts her parents made for her to go to school. She is a proud Tseltal speaker which has been a powerful tool as an educator in indigenous communities, specializing in literacy skills. Paty loves seeing people using their mother languages to acquire new knowledge to improve their lives. She studied at the Intercultural University of Chiapas (UNICH) in San Cristóbal de las Casas.
RSA Program Assistance - Local Learning Units
Martha Guzmán López
Martha is from Tenejapa, speaker of the Tseltal and Tsotsil language. She graduated from the National Pedagogical University with a degree in Preschool Education for the Indigenous Environment. As soon as Martha steps into any classroom she creates an immediate rapport with students. She is driven by the firm belief that education is key to building social change, and is happy to work everyday to tackle the educational gap in the Highlands of Chiapas.
Emprende Program Assistant
Guadalupe Diaz Rodriguez “Lupita”
Lupita works hard so her children can have the opportunities she never did. She keeps our office in check and then makes sure her kids keep up in school.