Erika Pimentel

Erika began having vision problems at age 5. By age 13, she was totally blind due to detached retinas. We began assisting her in 2010 and she graduated from high school in 2014. The photo shows her with the principal of the school she attended. She received a Brailler through our program and attended the career seminar we sponsored in 2014. Then, Erika encountered a massive roadblock: her family felt that it is a complete waste of time for a blind person to attend university. For two years, Erika sat at home, losing her academic skills and ability to travel independently. Finally, she and the Patronato staff succeeded in convincing the family that she should attend university. After an understandably shaky start, she is in her third year, earning good grades.