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!

In Pepe's Words

My name is José Luis Martínez Juárez, but everyone knows me as Pepe. I was invited to the Amigos Program by Ms. Rosalía when I was in middle school. After high school, I applied to the Instituto Tecnológico de Roque in Celaya and earned a place to study Agricultural Innovation Engineering.

Upon graduating, I had the opportunity to complete my professional internship with Rijk Zwaan México at a food expo. This experience provided me with a solid reference to start my career, and shortly before graduating, I was hired by Coirtech. I’ve now been with them for two years.

Coirtech specializes in producing coconut fiber and consulting to improve hydroponic crops in Mexico. My work has taken me all over the country, contributing to the production of healthy, clean, and high-value crops for human consumption, such as bell peppers, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, and cucumbers.

I began as Quality Supervisor and was recently promoted to Commercial Executive. My job has allowed me to support my family with greater economic stability, and I’m proud to be contributing to the agricultural development of my country.

Thank you, Amigos, for this invaluable support—I couldn’t have achieved it without your help.

​Saludos,
Pepe