A college student who survived the major Haiti earthquake in 2010 will achieve his dream of graduating from the University of Texas at Dallas on Wednesday.
Jude Celiscar, 32, has had a journey unlike many others, but continued to work on his education. He overcame numerous obstacles including the deadly 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti in 2010.
"My school basically collapsed, that building that we had before is no longer there," Celiscar explained.
Before the earthquake, he was already working on his dream of higher education.
"I was working during the day and going to school in the afternoon," he said. "It was kind of hard for us a lot of times to even eat and pay my tuition."
Though the building crumbled, his faith was unshakable.
"It’s my duty to build my own legacy and this is what basically kept me going," Celiscar said. "While I’m creating opportunities for myself, I’m creating opportunities for the next generation."
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Celiscar will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in international political economy and has already gained international recognition for his business, Goodoo Courier, which ships merchandise to Haiti.
A recent Forbes article named him one of 10 young Haitian entrepreneurs working to reinvent their nation.
Celiscar is not finished yet, he hopes to continue at UT-Dallas to get a master’s degree.
