The Camacho Family
Aura Camacho was introduced to PCEP in 2020 by friends at AVANCE-Austin. Until then, her family had settled into what she describes as a “somewhat monotonous” daily routine. She was interested in PCEP, but AVANCE had moved all classes online during the pandemic, so Aura registered for the new version of the program, dubbed virtual PCEP.
Through PCEP, Aura learned to communicate more effectively with her husband and children. She was more confident in expressing her feelings, also setting an example for her children to trust that they could share theirs. With her newfound confidence, Aura began to trust more in herself and her decision-making. She started thinking of the future, visualizing her life years later. She shared what she learned with her husband, and together they began to plan and organize their finances to build a brighter future for their family. This path recently led them to establish their own company.
The PCEP toy making lessons hold a special place in Aura’s memory. Although her mother is a professional seamstress, Aura couldn’t sew a button when she began PCEP. But she learned how to work with her hands and create educational toys that her children love and often prefer to their expensive toys. She still finds joy in seeing her children play with her handmade creations.
While PCEP helped empower Aura in new ways, one of her primary motivations for enrolling was her hope that it might help her young daughter Leah learn Spanish. Before PCEP, Leah wouldn’t even try to overcome the language barrier that separated her from her mother. Adjusting to the virtual format of the program was initially challenging, but Aura and her daughter quickly adapted. Over time, Leah flourished in the children’s lessons, happily singing along with the songs and engaging in all the activities, making incredible progress in learning Spanish. Now four years old, Leah continues to thrive and is already looking toward the future. Aspiring to be a police officer and a professional gymnast, she takes her gymnastics classes seriously, working hard and showing discipline and focus.