SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio charter school is holding a festival this weekend to raise much needed funds to support its educational programs designed to break generational cycles.
The Taste of the Southside festival takes place on April 13 and April 14 on the campus of Por Vida Academy.
There will be entertainment, food, art and the money raised goes to support the school programs.
“We’ve had kids come from Boerne ISD, Northside, Southside and they all just come filter in, primarily due to behavioral issues. Things like that. Homelessness. All sorts of reasons to label them at risk, but when you get to know them and talk to them on a social emotional level, you really realize they have more to their story and we really take the time to get to know them,” Mariza Loredo, principal at the Por Vida Academy said.
The South Side charter school changed the life of Enrique Salinas.
“I didn’t necessarily want to be in school at the time. I was 17. Half a credit. I had tattoos. I was already incarcerated. My dad was incarcerated during this time in high school. My grandpa was incarcerated,” Salinas said.
It was a teacher at Por Vida Academy that helped turn Salinas’ life around and believed in him.
After graduating from the academy in 2013, Salinas earned two associates of liberal arts and psychology from St. Philips College.
He then earned his bachelor’s and master of social work degree from Texas State University.
He is currently a doctoral students at the University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
“There’s still students like me that come through these doors. They’re nontraditional students,” Salinas said.
He welcomes the community to the festival and has a message for students going through a challenging time in their lives.
“These hard times really do shape you and they are kind of unfortunate, but this is where character is built. This is where your drive is built. So no matter where you are at, what you are facing, just continue. There is going to be better days,” Salinas said.