Armed with English, SASS recipients flock to entrepreneurship
Confronted with skyrocketing rents and stagnant wages -- and emboldened by their ability to communicate in English -- SASS recipients are starting their own businesses, while still staying in college.
Before coming to the United States, SASS recipient Carmina Ortuño owned a small restaurant in Acapulco. Wanting to capitalize on her passion for cooking, she has opened a food truck in San Jose specializing in traditional Mexican fare like chili verde, chicken tinga, and barbacoa. A company called
FoodTruckEmpire provided her with the know-how she needed to get started. Thanks to her SASS scholarship, Carmina could afford to attend Cañada College to gain the English skills she needed to embark on this endeavor.
In addition to working 12-hour days preparing and selling food for her truck, Carmina now has a catering business, a result of satisfied food truck customers asking her to prepare food for private parties. Carmina's goal is to get an Associate degree in business from Cañada College and help other people open their own food trucks.
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