Alumni Network

The Breakthrough Alumni Network is a newly launched initiative with more than 250 Breakthrough Central Texas college graduates! It is an opportunity to connect or reconnect with other Alumni to continue to build meaningful relationships that can mutually benefit us and our community. All former Breakthrough Central Texas students who graduated from high school at least 6 years ago (regardless of post-secondary credential status) are eligible for membership.
Alumni Network’s Goals
Growing As A Professional
Professional Development Sessions
Networking With The Breakthrough Community
Lifting While We Climb
Engagement With Current Students
Giving Back Through Volunteer Opportunities
Building A Stronger Network
Governance
Connecting With Fellow Alumni
250 BREAKTHROUGH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE GRADUATES AND COUNTING!
Alumni Co-Chairs
The Alumni Council Co-Chairs play an active role in helping to implement Breakthrough’s alumni relations program and annual strategic plan.
Jabrell Scott, Alumni Co-Chair

Javier Ramirez, Alumni Co-Chair

Staff Liaison
The Staff Liaison is responsible for managing the Breakthrough Alumni Network program and engaging the Alumni Council in order to achieve the network’s goals.
Karen Arredondo, Staff Liaison

Alumni Council
The Alumni Council Co-Chairs provide leadership of the Alumni Council in order to achieve Breakthrough Alumni Network goals.
Carlos Alpuche Caceres

Carlos graduated from St. Edward’s University in 2018 with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science. Currently, Carlos is working at Horizon Bank Texas as a Senior IT Helpdesk Specialist and serves on the Breakthrough Alumni Network’s Council. He is also pursuing his Masters of Business Administration at St. Edward’s University and will graduate this December.
Carlos De La Cruz
Carlos joined Breakthrough in 2012 as a 7th grader and has participated in the organization in various roles including as a student, volunteer, teaching fellow, and now alum and council member. Carlos graduated from Texas A&M in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and is now working at Tesla as an Associate Technical Program Manager at the Gigafactory Texas location
DeAndralyn Dorsey

Esteban Armenta
Esteban is an accomplished professional and a Breakthrough alumnus. He is currently an Associate Project Manager at Blackwell Development, Inc., a growing commercial general contractor in the Los Angeles area. Esteban focuses on building commercial offices, charter schools, and medical clinics throughout Southern California. Previously, he worked as a Project Designer at Dick Clark + Associates, a prominent architecture and interior design firm in the heart of Austin, Texas. Esteban is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Design and Architecture in August of 2019. He was active in multiple student organizations including the College of Architecture’s Woodshop, the Corps of Cadets, and in the American Institute of Architecture Students. He also led the local chapter’s Freedom By Design efforts to provide free architectural services to local residents to solve design and construction challenges for those with limited or constrained mobility.
Esteban’s experience with Breakthrough extends back to 2008 when he first joined the program as a middle-school student in Austin ISD. He has been an active participant throughout the program and is a loyal Austin High School graduate from the Class of 2014. Esteban’s parents, Rosario and Esteban, are also actively involved in the program, as are his younger siblings, Xitlali and Hector. Esteban also served as a Summer Teaching Fellow in the summer of 2016 while in college to give back to the organization and support younger students to follow in his footsteps as a first generation college student.
Gloria Perez

Huy Nguyen

Huy is an Associate at Saothair Capital Partners. Prior to joining Saothair, Huy was an Investment Banking Associate at RBC Capital Markets in New York within the Industrial & Diversified Services coverage group, where he worked on mergers and acquisitions and capital raise transactions. Huy holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Middlebury College.
Jose Vara

Jose is a proud Austin native and a first-generation college graduate. He graduated from Southwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business and double minored in Spanish and Exercise & Sports Studies. Jose currently works at Pro-Tect Roof Service, a small family business that his father started in 2003, as an Estimator and Project Manager. Jose is a Breakthrough alum and is excited to help grow Breakthrough’s Alumni Network.
Julian Castaneda

Julian Castañeda is a Breakthrough alumni that joined the program in 2009. Through Breakthrough, he graduated from St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in 2015 as a boarding student, and then graduated from Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, CA) in 2019 with a dual degree in Economics and Psychology. Julian is obsessed with the intersection of technology and brand-building. He currently works at Meta in Austin, TX as a Strategic Partner Manager empowering mid-market businesses through commerce products and strategy. In his free time, Julian enjoys competing in CrossFit competitions, traveling, and connecting with over 750 restaurants nationwide.
Karen Alpuche

Karen Alpuche is a proud alumnus of Breakthrough Austin and a graduate of Pomona College. She has experience in Venture Capital, Non-Profit/Social Enterprises, and most recently Consulting. She is now a part of Guild Education, an education, skilling, and mobility solution built to unlock opportunities for America’s workforce. Karen’s expertise in Breakthrough goes back many years prior. She joined as a sixth grader, and also served as a Summer Teaching Fellow in the inaugural year at the St. Andrew’s site. Her older brother and younger sister, Carlos and Emily Alpuche are both Breakthrough students, with their parents being very active and involved participants in the program as well.
Yasmine Smith

Questions? Please contact Karen Arredondo our Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator at karen@breakthroughctx.org