Donna and Jack Walton were visiting Apaseo in the summer of 2011, and Rosalia Cabrera, the coordinator of the Father Joseph O’Looney Scholarship Program, took them to the home of Jose Luis Martinez Juarez (Pepe) to meet him. Pepe was the newest “becario” (scholarship student), and they met him at his home. He was in his last year of primaria (6th grade) and he was friendly and introduced them to his dog.
Over the years, they kept in touch with Pepe during their summer visits to see all of the scholarship students. He went on to secundaria Technica #8 (middle school) and then on to the preparatoria (High school). He joined the marching band and played the coronet. During high school he studied animals, especially cows and genetics with pigs. For his university studies he attended the Technical institute of Roque and majored in Engineering of Innovative Agriculture. He shared with us the studies and special projects that he worked on at the university. Pepe recently graduated from the university and has continued his interest in creative agriculture. He is now working for Coirtech, an innovative company that works to assure a healthy crop for farmers. They provide HS Hydroponic Solutions that adds value with cutting-edge technological tools to achieve healthy crops and respond to the specific needs of their clients. They offer coconut fiber with a high quality that the protected cultivation client requires. They work in coordination with coconut producers on the coasts of Colima, Jalisco, Michoacan and Guerrero, generating sources of employment and adding well-being to these localities. Pepe has definitely come a long way since his elementary school days in Apaseo! |