SAN ANTONIO – Jesus Rendon, a 2010 South San Antonio Independent School District graduate, left his community to pursue a football career and earn an engineering degree.
After his education career was complete, Rendon said he wanted to return and help the next generation in the same community that shaped him.
“Most humans live life by default. And if the default in that community isn’t the best, the outcome is not going to be the best,” Rendon said.
Rendon said his belief in helping students find their path spurred him to start Building A Purpose, a nonprofit.
“Here at Building A Purpose, we believe that it’s better to change a mentor in high school than to change a major in college,” Rendon said.
The nonprofit’s goal is simple: connect South San ISD students with mentors in a profession they want to explore.
“There are so many options for this generation, and there’s so many distractions,” Rendon said. “So if we can help focus that interest and thoroughly vet each field, that’s the best way to tackle these challenges for the students, the community here and in an educational sense,” he said.
A 2019 study found families living in the 78211 zip code tend to face greater struggles in education, employment and health care than most other communities.
Building A Purpose’s board of directors is comprised of like-minded leaders who seek to provide students in the economically disadvantaged South San community with the best opportunities for their futures.
Former South San ISD student Juan Elias left home for a military career. He then returned to South San to become a teacher.
Rendon was one of Elias’ students. They now work together at the nonprofit.
“I’ve been retired for 10, 12 years. My heart is still here, so I keep coming back every chance I get,” Elias said.
In 2022, South San ISD received a “C” accountability rating from the Texas Education Agency. About 81% of the district’s more than 7,000 students are considered at a high risk of dropping out of school.
South San ISD has had eight superintendents in 13 years. One of those superintendents is now a TEA monitor who oversees the board’s actions.
Rendon and the board said they put politics aside to solely focus on the students.
“I’ve always believed it doesn’t matter what is happening at any layer of politics, from the school board to the president of the United States. It’s always left or right,” Rendon said. “And if you really want to fix that problem, you go work directly with the people you’re serving.”
“I’ve always felt that the teachers in this district are awesome,” Elias said. “They go about their everyday job of teaching the children, and sometimes the school board favors them, sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t know the politics of it, or whatever. I never really got involved in that because I felt like, you know, they were doing their job, but I had my job to do.”