“My family hasn’t been really fortunate, and my family has really struggled coming from different countries. My family didn’t attend college because they didn’t have the finances to attend college,” said Ibanez Garcia. On top of that he also said that he would have “just felt like a number” at a traditional college. 

Now at AdvanceEDU, Ibanez Garcia is pursing a degree in cyber security and information assurance; while Fernandez-Celis is working to become a psychologist, a mission that is directly tied her life growing up in a traditional Mexican household where discussions about mental health were "taboo."

[Related: How nontraditional pathways can lead workers to good jobs]

“I do think that, just Mexican psychologists and Spanish-speaking psychologists are so important because it helps break that barrier. Like, how many other kids were raised in conservative traditional households where they felt like the black sheep of the family because their ways of thinking are just different? Giving those voices the power and audience … so when you see somebody doing that, you know you can do it too," said Fernandez-Celis.

Part of the program's success is the first-hand understanding and knowledge from the leaders of the organization, including Bills.

“A lot of this work resonates with me personally. I came from a low-income neighborhood just north of Denver and just had a lot of different supports from high school," said Bills.

Bills said part of his role as a success coach is guiding students through academic and personal life. For example, if a student's life is getting too complex, he'll his role, be he helps guide the student through their academic career and personal life. Such as, if life gets too complex for a student, he will suggest that maybe it’s time to enroll in fewer credits so that students can get their personal life in order.  

“I think with AdvanceEDU with the goal of having a mindset of closing the equity gap between low-income students of color with their white counterparts, I think this has a really good possibility doing that with our low cost of education and our support system,” said Bills. 

AdvanceEDU tries to provide whatever a student needs to be successful, including a collaborative workspace in Denver, as they work to make the world a better place. 

"Me personally, I feel very lucky to be the person I am flaws and all because I've always known my purpose in life is to be at peace and to be joyful and to help others through psychology," said Fernandez-Celis.

"I want to create and influence and an impact in this world," said Ibanez Garcia. "I really want to create a difference and a positive difference."

Lindsey Ford is a multimedia journalist with Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at lindseyford@rmpbs.org.