Alumnus Goes Above and Beyond in the Philippines By Amy Archuleta
Scott Berry on a recent trip to Bohol, Philippines
On Sept. 26, 2015, the Filipino American Foundation of New Mexico recognized Scott Berry (BS 93) for the work he is doing in the province of Bohol in the Philippines.
the government, many schools refuse to allow unprepared children to attend school. 60 percent of children do not finish elementary school because of poverty.”
Scott joined the U. S. Air Force in 1975 and was stationed at Cannon Air Force Base for many years, which led him to attend ENMU. After retiring from the Air Force as a Technical Sergeant in 1995, Scott taught special education for many years in Albuquerque.
In 2011, he organized Educate Bohol, a 501(c)(3) public charity, which provides school supplies and other support to keep children in school. During 2015, Educate Bohol handed out over 1,100 backpacks filled with pencils, paper, notebooks, and other school essentials to children at high risk of dropping out of school.
In 2011 Scott made his first trip to the Philippines with a church group on a mission to build churches. While building he saw a kid standing around and asked the boy why he wasn’t in school. When the student replied he didn’t have a pencil, the former teacher thought it was just an excuse. He took the kid to the market to buy him a pencil and other supplies. This simple kind gesture led to a whole new mission when Scott learned that this boy was one of many children who do not attend school because they cannot afford the needed supplies.
Educate Bohol impacts students, teachers, and parents. The students who are able to attend school have hope of bettering the lives of themselves and their families by being able to compete for higher paying jobs.
Scott explains, “Unlike the U.S., children in the Philippines who do not have the materials they need for school are often discouraged from attending class. Although not an official stand of
Scott and his wife Zella live in Rio Rancho and travel to the Philippines each year to distribute school supplies and meet with parents, pastors, teachers and hundreds of children.
But the impact of Scott’s efforts goes beyond helping children get an education. In the Philippines, children who are not in school may quickly become the victims of child labor, human trafficking and the child sex trade. Studies have identified education as the primary protective factor keeping children out of the hands of traffickers.
New Graduate Seizes Global Opportunity Photo by Zachary Michael
By Robert Graham
Jeffery Richeson
Recent graduate Jeffery Richeson (BBA 15) experienced first-hand the positive results that come from hard work and an ENMU education. Two weeks prior to graduation, Four Seasons’ Rancho Encantado resort in Santa Fe hired Jeffery as a front desk agent. “It was an amazing opportunity to work for the world’s premiere resort, especially since most Four Seasons resorts are found in larger cities,” says Jeffery.
The Eastern alumnus worked for another multinational company prior to landing his job with Four Seasons: the Marseille, Francebased company Sodexo, Eastern New Mexico University’s exclusive catering services provider.
“Immediately, I was able to build on my academic experience as a business major specializing in hospitality management with my first job out of school,” says Jeffery. “Working for Sodexo while at ENMU added to my readiness too.” As a student, Jeffery completed a semester abroad at Seoul, South Korea’s Hankuk University of Foreign Studies with his best friend Zachary Self (BS 15). “Hankuk University was a great experience. It was very different from Eastern, as Hankuk is surrounded by skyscrapers and centrally located in Seoul,” says Jeffery. Jeffery spent the first eight years of his life in the Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo and Araruama and moved to Hobbs, New Mexico at the end of the 20th century, finding his way to ENMU at the dawn of a new century. Green & Silver | February 2016
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