How Villa Preparatory Academy (VPA) Started
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Bringing hope to elementary school students in Homestead was more than just wishful thinking for Zoraida Villanueva. She used $250,000 of her savings to fund her dream and open a new school.
All 136 students at Villa Preparatory Academy are her students. She owns the private school.
The 28-year-old wife and mother taught one year in public schools and then started a tutoring business.
Four years later, that business and her bank account had grown.
"It meant nothing to have money there when I knew that 10 years ago I was one of those kids," she says.
Villanueva was born and raised in poverty.
"Growing up here in Homestead I got the shorter end of the stick because we're stuck with the stigma. Everyone thinks you're ghetto, poor, don't know English," she said.
But she found her way out through education and wants her students to do the same.
"I want these kids to know from day one you can be whatever you want to be. I want them to be surrounded by teachers who care about them and believe in them," Villanueva said.
