Alumni

Breaking Barriers Through Education

Lupita Figueiredo

Born in Sinaloa, Mexico, Lupita Figueiredo moved to the U.S. at 22 with the support of her church group. “My father passed away when I was 16 — as the youngest of 12 kids, there wasn’t money for me to attend college after he passed. And there were no systems in Mexico to help people without money to go to school,” she said.

But Figueiredo is a self-starter, and upon arriving in Los Angeles she wasted no time in applying for work and proving herself when she got it — again and again. Her tenacity and a few connections eventually landed her a job working for Telemundo Univision, where she discovered that journalism and communications came naturally to her. Soon, she was a television reporter with the network.

“I did so well in my career that I almost forgot that I didn’t have a college degree,” Figeuiredo said. But the world didn’t.

As she got older she sought promotions, only to be denied each time. Many times it came down to her and a single other, less qualified candidate…and the other candidate would get the job. Figueiredo realized that it was because she didn’t have a degree.

“I went almost two years without a job after the 2007 recession,” she said. “I applied to over 100 roles, and lost them all.”

Though she may have lost the jobs, she never lost hope. And one day, an ad on Instagram seemed to answer her prayers. “It was an ad for BAM. It was like it was meant for me.”

From there, Figueiredo didn’t stop. She used the link to message the program immediately, and connected with Desiree Shaw, its director and major adviser. “Desiree made me see that it was possible. She made the difference. She always followed up with me, and insisted I could do this. Because of her, I did.”

Figeuiredo, who currently works in community relations for the Department of Transportation, has big plans in mind. “I want to move into tech and work at a media lab — I want to work on how media and AI influence the public narrative. I have a lot more to contribute to this world, and my degree will help me do that.“

Her determination has been infectious, and she points to the ripple effect education can have. “After watching me do it, some of my 11 siblings — all older — have gone back to school later in life,” she said. “One of my brothers was in his sixties when he decided to finally go to law school. Now he’s practicing law in Mexico. I graduated from BAM for me, but the impact of my success goes far beyond just me.”

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