When Alice Jordan attempted to take her life at 16, her mother came alongside her and gave her the strength to carry on. When her parents’ car was not suitable for her first trip to college in Bloomington, Indiana, a community member transported her and five other Latino students in a tomato truck.

Such acts of support gave her hope. Ever since, she has been paying forward the help of others by mentoring young people.

Jordan is the director of Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Behavioral and Family Services Institute in the Department of Human Services. She is a founding member of Latinos Count, where she helps young people on the path to success. She also assists young people manage the journey to college through her own mentoring program, Hoosiers of Tomorrow. And, she heads the Indiana Suicide Prevention Coalition.

For Jordan, one of fourteen children of Puerto Rican descent, lifting up others centers on a word: Hope. It can help a person emerge from the darkness of despair and doubt. It can encourage people to see and believe in a brighter future.

By her own estimate, she has assisted hundreds of young people. She says programs like Latinos Count are essential to making sure people are given the opportunity to rise to success through a hand-up versus a handout.

“It is a critical organization where a student can feel seen and heard,” she says. “Latinos Count validates the dreams of young Latino students that education is possible no matter the political climate. Latinos Count instills the promise and opportunity that society has taken away from them of late.”

In her office at Purdue Fort Wayne, Jordan has a poster board filled with thank-you notes from young people she has helped. It reminds her of the importance and successes of her work.

She recognizes all too well that not every story is a straight path to triumph. She is the mother of three children, two grown daughters and a son, and her son is serving time in prison on a drug charge. The charge stemmed from her son’s substance abuse disorder.

“I can save other people but I couldn’t save my son,” she says tearfully. “But I still have hope. It’s the only thing I can hang my heart on. A mother’s love doesn’t end when a cell door closes.”

The words her son wrote on a Mother’s Day card shortly before going to prison suggest that maybe one day he will pay forward her love: “Thank you for always being there when no one else was. I hope you have an amazing year with more to come. I love you. Thanks for everything you do.”

Jordan was something of a trailblazer in her family. She was the first to go to college, bucking the cultural expectations of the time for Latino women. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University. Eventually, all of her siblings went to college.

Jordan has also received numerous accolades for her work over the years. She received the Distinguished Alumni Service award from Indiana University and the Amiga of the Year award from Latinos Count.

But it is the work itself, not plaques or certificates, that drives her. At 59, she is a furnace of energy.

“I’ve dedicated my life to helping others,” she says. “It’s not the most lucrative path to success. But it allows me to put my head on my pillow at night and know that I’ve made a difference.”