ABOUT US
Our mission
We enrich the lives of youths and adults.
Our vision
To help people throughout world-class educational and empowerment programs to realize their full potential.
Our values
Responsibility: We meet our obligations and we are careful to make decisions and execute our actions.
Integrity: We behave ethically, we are honest, loyal, punctual, and consistent.
Quality: We are in a continuous effort to maintain standards of excellence.
Innovation: We are agents of change, generating new ideas and making them real.
Teamwork: We collaborate with each other; a team member plays a part but all with a common goal. We seek collective success over the individual.
Our story
The System for Education Empowerment and Success (SEDES) was founded in Houston, Texas, in 2008 (formerly named La Raza United). In 2018 the organization was renamed to better understand its mission, vision, and values. It was founded due to the educational and leadership gaps among vulnerable Latino families in the United States. SEDES is a nonprofit organization that has developed tools to break poverty cycles and help individuals achieve a better quality of life. SEDES promotes economic growth inspired by Confucius's famous quote, "Give a bowl of rice to a man, and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to grow his own rice, and you will save his life", through diverse learning opportunities, such as job skills training courses (ESL, Financial Literacy, GED, Electrical Training/Licensing, and Computer Literacy) for adults and young adults. As well as college and career readiness and awareness interventions for adolescents that SEDES's participants increase their income, they receive instruction needed to jump from minimum wage to better jobs and post-secondary education careers.
Our Logo
In the SEDES logo, the figure of a monarch butterfly stands out; this creature is internationally recognized for its phenomenal migration, during which, each butterfly undertakes a high flight, working as a team to ensure that the group reaches its destination further afield and unreachable it seems. In this same way, we recognize the migratory movement of individuals, from cavemen to modern men, always looking for the best place to guarantee their survival. If we work like monarch butterflies, no matter how high we want to fly or how far we want to go, we can be sure that we will succeed as a whole society. The wave-shaped line represents the ups and downs that life faces us, of which the monarch butterfly (however fragile it seems) is victorious. The blue color symbolizes freedom and progress, while the yellow color represents knowledge and joy.
"Give a man a bowl of rice and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to grow his own rice and you will feed him for a lifetime" - Confucius
Luis A. Garcia-Alvarez
Since the beginning of this century, Luis Ángel García Álvarez has utilized the resources at his disposal to immigrate to the United States in pursuit of his dreams, expanding his vision to improve the lives of Hispanic immigrants.
In 2008, he founded SEDES, a platform aimed at helping these dreamers achieve financial freedom and holistic development in society. Academically, he holds a Master's in Human Rights and International Law from the European Institute Campus Stellae, and a bachelor's degree in Industrial Design from the Autonomous University of Nuevo León.
Luis Angel has been recognized for his achievements and contributions: in 2021, the City of Houston awarded him the Hispanic Heritage Award and declared October 5th as Luis Ángel García Álvarez Day. He was also named the Most Valuable Player in the community by the MLS in 2021, representing Houston Dynamo. His leadership has been highlighted in media outlets like El Financiero.
He has participated in various advisory boards and committees, demonstrating his commitment to a better future. His legacy continues to inspire many. In a segment of his essay for the United States Hispanic Leaders Program, Spain-USA Council Foundation, he expresses his vision of the United States as a blend of cultures and an opportunity to strengthen the Hispanic community and foster a harmonious and progressive relationship with all the country's inhabitants.
