Parents' sacrifice to send children to Catholic School

Alfred Lopez and Katy Velazco-Lopez worked continuously to provide a Catholic education for their children. They both still reside in Corpus Christi and are proud parishioners of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (28 years married strong). This past Memorial Day weekend the last Lopez kid graduated from Catholic School. 

My parents made the selfless sacrifice from Pre-K through 12th grade to provide all of us with a Catholic education. 

After my brother almost died in the hospital after his birth, my father made a promise to God that he would give us a Catholic education. All three of us attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School from pre-K through sixth grade. After sixth grade, I went on to attend Incarnate Word Academy-Middle Level and my younger brother and sister went on to attend Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School.

For many years, my mom drove between three different Catholic schools right before she went to work. She went from IWA High School, Bishop Garriga Middle School, and OLPH Academy every single morning for many years. She always managed to get us all to school on time somehow.

My parents always worked as a team to ensure all of three of us achieved our education. When relatives or friends made fun of their broken down cars my parents always responded back with, "my children's education in a Catholic school is where my money goes and them growing in their faith is the real investment.  I want them to be prepared for college and to be young men/women of faith."  

My parents sacrificed vacations, vehicles, and other luxuries to ensure all three of us received the best education in south Texas. Words can not express how eternally grateful I am to have had parents who sacrificed so much (crying writing this letter.)  Their sacrifice has prepared all three of us for the real world, our careers, and kept us close to the Church. 

I graduated with honors in 2009 from Incarnate Word Academy. During my time at IWA, I received the Sister Margaret award and was a part of the cheerleading team, Mission Team to Mexico, TAPPS Academic and Art Team that went to State. My education at IWA was achieved through my parent's sacrifice, tuition grants, financial aid, work-study every single day after school and the Presidential Scholarship. 

The presidential scholarship was kept by maintaining a certain GPA and was a scholarship that I kept from seventh through twelfth grade. I knew growing up if my grades dropped, then I wouldn't have the scholarship and thus would not be able to continue at IWA. 

After my education at Incarnate Word Academy,  I went on to graduate from Texas A&M University-Kingsville with a degree in Civil Engineering and minor in Mathematics. Currently, I am one of the civil engineers for the City of New Braunfels, TX. Outside of work I serve as a Board of Director for the Javelina Alumni Association and Treasurer/Board Director for the Society of Women Engineers-San Antonio Professional Section.

My brother Dominic Lopez graduated in 2012 from St. John Paul II High School and was a vital member of the Back-To-Back TAPPS State Champion Baseball team in 2010 & 2011. During his time at St. JPII, he received All-State Honors both athletically and academically. My brother was the only baseball player who went to Mass every single day during the early years of St. JPII. 

He received an athletic scholarship to play baseball for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and played there during his duration. Last summer he graduated with his Kinesiology degree from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and had since entered the workforce as an educator.  He has still managed to stay involved with the Centurion baseball team as an assistant baseball coach alongside JJ Trullijo.

My brother is engaged to Lauren Rodriguez (Class of 2012 JPII graduate) who is studying towards a Masters in Environmental Engineering.

My little sister Gabrielle Lopez graduated from St. John Paul II High School this year on Memorial Day weekend and is planning to study Criminal Justice at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. During her time at St. JPII she was on the volleyball and softball teams. Gabrielle was also a part of the English, Spanish, and National Honor Society during her time at JPII.

For several years my dad drove back and forth from Corpus Christi to Three Rivers to work at the Valero Refinery. He drove in a 1986 Honda Civic with no AC that needed a push start from others to get going. Every day for six years he did the three-hour drive and always made it back home for dinner. He also managed to stay actively involved with the construction of the athletic fields at St. JPII in the early years. He, along with a small group of fathers worked for years in the south Texas heat to help build the dugouts and develop the baseball field.   

I know many families in South Texas who made sacrifices to keep their children in Catholic School. The education my siblings and I received was priceless and something we never took for granted. Witnessing first-hand everything my parents did for us is incredibly humbling. Watching my father and mother cry tears of joy at my sister's recent graduation was so moving. To hear them say, "We did it. We put them all through Catholic school, and they have all turned out to become good faithful people." 

Someday I hope to provide my future children that same education. As an engineer, ethics is a fundamental aspect of my career, and every single class at IWA prepared me for my current job. My husband Jose Sanchez, a mechanical engineer, attributes who I am as a person to my Catholic Education. 

We recently were married at OLPH by Father Frank Martinez and are parishioners at St. Brigid Church in San Antonio.