Alumni in Action: Alexis and Brenda
Alexis Jurado and Brenda Salais-Ramirez are high school sweethearts that also attended CCA together. With the goal of owning a home and raising a family, they took full advantage of the opportunities CCA offers to kick-start their careers and transfer journeys, and fulfill their dream of a successful life.
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Going to college can lead to a plethora of opportunities. Potentially better job offers, lifelong friendships and more. For Alexis Jurado and Brenda Salais-Ramirez, it meant building an entire life together built on shared dreams and the determination to succeed.
As high school classmates, the pair spent time amongst similar friend groups. Brenda says the duo hit it off early, forming a lifelong bond. “We just loved everything about each other. From there, we were high school sweethearts.”
Now, in their mid-twenties, they have achieved many of their life’s goals. Paramount to achieving everything they did at such a young age, they say, is the Community College of Aurora (CCA).
Together, they are raising their six-month old daughter in their beautiful home while working in fulfilling careers in disciplines they studied at CCA.
Home ownership was a major milestone they looked forward to achieving before the age of 25. Their tenacity paid off, and they were able to cross that off the list just on time.
“I feel like I wouldn’t have been able to do that without CCA,” Alexis says. “ It guided me through, and gave me a life opportunity for me to learn a skill that I use every day.”
Alexis graduated with his Associate of Applied Science degree in Diesel Power Mechanics from CCA in 2018. It was a natural degree to pursue, as his family owned their own trucking company, and he wanted to learn all he could about the industry. He took his love for trucks and found a career he is passionate about.
He runs diagnostics for a commercial trucking company, MHC Kenworth, and says he takes his responsibility seriously as someone who keeps important supplies running across America’s roads.
“I love fixing trucks. Trucks move America, Without trucks, America dies,” he says.
Brenda was the first to lay the groundwork for attending CCA. After high school, she looked to find the best place to attend college, considering which local options would be most accessible. She says in CCA, she found convenience, and the right fit to meet her academic goals. She enrolled in classes and Alexis followed soon after, creating a lifelong match made at CCA.
Brenda earned her associate degree in Criminal Justice, and now works for the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services in child and adult protection services. Ensuring children have safe living conditions is something she says she knew she always wanted to do.
“I was able to connect with a mentorship at Adams County Probation,” Brenda said. “I mentored there for three or four years. After I left CCA, I was still able to mentor there, and gain some knowledge.
I know exactly what I wanted to do after I graduated from college.”
In addition, she participated in CCA’s Conexiones con la Comunidad program.
Mentorship is a central theme to the couple’s success. Both credit CCA’s mentors as drivers of their success.
“We both had the same mindset and goals. We both wanted to move out of our parents’ homes and create our own family and values. CCA helped us do that because it was our stepping stone. And so I think that helped us grow,” Brenda says.
Alexis says CCA’s mentors were pivotal in helping find scholarship opportunities, stay on track with classes, and thrive. Interim Strategic Communications Officer Courtney Butler worked in the Diesel Power Mechanics department at the time, mentoring students, including Brenda and Alexis. Brenda says as a first-generation student, everything was new to her, and that extra support helped guide her on the right path.
Butler recalls being a first-generation student herself, and the life-changing effect her mentors had on her saying, “I had an amazing mentor at Metro State, it opened up opportunities for me to participate in practicums, networking events, and getting involved on campus with my Latina sorority. I continue to pay it forward by helping students navigate the higher ed system, connecting them with folx in our communities, and giving them space to come chat with me with an open door policy. I’ll never forget my first mentor, Donelyn James (now Jones). She’s still a major part of my life, and I’m forever grateful to have had her guidance during my undergrad.”
As alumni, the couple stands out as a shining example of how hard work, determination and the right guidance can culminate in a CCA success story. Having achieved many of the goals they set out with, they say they now do it for their daughter.
Parenthood presents its own challenges, but it’s yet another task they are up to. “I think we communicate and balance that lifestyle very well,” Brenda says. “That’s why we’ve been so successful, and it’s so rewarding. Because at the end of the day, I think we do it for our baby now, and I love it. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
They hope to someday pass on their ambition onto their child. As first generation students, they proudly show off their CCA pride.
“I was first generation too,” Alexis says. “Being able to give that to my parents, and even myself, even if it’s just an associate degree, look where it got me. Look what I have been able to accomplish. So when other people ask me, ‘Do you recommend CCA,’ I recommend it 100%.”
Brenda says, “When people ask, ‘Where would you start after high school,’ I say community college.” She says for someone like her who was shy in high school, and didn’t didn’t feel involved, CCA provided a way for her to find her passion.
For someone looking at a more affordable option than a four-year university, Alexis says community college is hard to beat.
“So you pay less to go to school and have a high-quality education. What else beats that?”If you are interested in building your own future at CCA, and finding what opportunities await, click HERE.
Photos and video by: Dept. of Strategic Communications