By Constanza Morales
Special to The Texas Catholic
When she speaks with school principals, pastors, or parents, Isabel Puente sees them all the same: as family. The 28 year old has spent four months traveling throughout the Diocese of Dallas to show them how children can be educated in Catholic schools using the recently created Texas Educational Freedom Accounts.
“I speak to them as if I’ve known them before, because if they trust me, they’ll be more open to understanding the importance of Catholic education,” said Puente, who serves as the TEFA liaison for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Dallas.
The state program, set to begin accepting applications in early February, allows eligible families to use state funds to pay for private school tuition and other education-related expenses.
Seeds of faith
Puente believes today’s parents face an increasingly difficult challenge in keeping their children close to the faith as they pursue their education.
“Most of the time, parents don’t have the time to dedicate to their children,” Puente explained. “Children spend more time at school and, in the public system, Catholic values aren’t cultivated. Catholic schools help parents to shape their children’s hearts and prevent them from losing their faith.”
Next fall, private schools across the state, including Catholic campuses, will welcome the first students to qualify for a TEFA account.
With the TEFA program, Puente is hopeful that the number of children and youth in diocesan classrooms will continue to grow.
“Families are always more open to Catholic education but are held back by the costs, an issue fueled by misinformation and ignorance,” she explained.
Through the informational talks she gives at schools and parishes across the diocese, Puente has helped bring clarity to parents who value a Catholic education for their children but had long been kept away by financial concerns.
“There is a need to grow our Catholic schools, and thanks to TEFA accounts, we have a good opportunity to encourage more families to think about our schools and seriously consider the option of educating their children with us,” Puente said.
Traveling throughout the diocese and speaking to large groups has not always been an easy task for Puente, who considers herself an introvert.
However, she credits her longtime involvement in Pastoral Juvenil Hispana — a Catholic ministry in the United States dedicated to the holistic formation, evangelization, and accompaniment of Hispanic young adults — as the “best school” that prepared her for the role she began four months ago with the diocesan office of Catholic schools.
“I learned to feel comfortable despite being uncomfortable,” she explained. “I had to step out of my comfort zone, and this role has me doing this every single session.”
When she feels exhausted at the end of a day of multiple talks, Puente recalls the pilgrimages she has done in the past for World Youth Day and the 2025 Jubilee in Rome.
“In those encounters, you always walk. I think it’s a beautiful thing, because you’re always walking toward Jesus, and he made everything wonderful for us. I can also show our families in Dallas wonderful opportunities,” she said.
Cutline for featured image: Isabel Puente, Texas Educational Freedom Accounts liaison for the Diocese of Dallas Catholic schools, poses on Jan. 13 at St. Pius X Catholic Parish. (TACHO DIMAS/Special Contributor)
