It can be surprising how, amidst a seemingly dry and still desert, life not only exists — but flourishes. In much the same way, the minds of this new generation are thinking bigger, creating careers off their passions, while also proving success doesn’t have to mean leaving home.
Nancy Loya, Jaylene Nguyen and Jacob Duran are three El Pasoans who have proven that locals can cultivate purpose and prosperity right where you are planted.
Lay The Foundation
Success starts from the ground up, and for 21-year-old Jaylene Nguyen, that meant setting herself up with a solid foundation of resilience.
She says after high school, she skipped college, worked 80-hour weeks in fast food, bartended, bounced between Houston and El Paso, saving money while still feeling stuck and unsure. “There’s this stigma that if you don’t go to college, you’ll get lost. And for a while, I did,” she said.
Nguyen says everything shifted, flipping her entire life upside down until she reached out to a local realtor, curious about the field.
“I took a shot in the dark, I didn’t know a thing about real estate, I didn’t know anything about professionalism, loans, I barely knew about credit cards.” she said, “I’ve learned the importance and technicalities of financial literacy, and try to pass it on to all my clients.”
A year into her business, she’s helped dozens of families, stays connected with clients, maintains daily posts on her social media and does a lot of door-knocking. She described El Paso as the best place to promote because of the welcoming community.
“I really like how El Paso is as a community. We’re small, so people are always willing to help.” Nguyen said. “Real estate has taught me so much. It’s not just about selling homes; it’s about helping people achieve their dreams.”
She proves that every hardship she faced simply prepared her for this career.
“If you have genuine curiosity for something and feel that gravitation towards it, just go for it,” she says.
Plant The Seed
At 28, Nancy Loya has fostered more than just a business—she’s growing a community. La Planta, her vibrant, plant-filled oasis, isn’t just about selling plants, candles, music, and local art— it’s a space where visitors leave with knowledge and a deeper love for plants.
Loya’s path to entrepreneurship was anything but expected. Studying to become a physician, the science lab was where Loya was introduced to botany.
“I was in a lab, we were growing beans in a mason jar, and I fell in love. I [thought] wow, I can’t believe I just grew that,” Loya said.
When the pandemic hit, Loya’s job at a clinic was put on pause, leaving her alone to “nerd out” with the plants, before a friend encouraged her to start her own business.
“If I ever considered it, it would’ve been for the creative aspect of it. But I kept flirting with the idea. It really didn’t happen till I gave it a name,” she said.
La Planta began as a plant shipping and instruction service, stretching from El Paso to California, Chicago and more. She aims for her customers to have that “aha” moment when it comes to growing their own resources and plants, just like she did.
Loya has never considered leaving El Paso for her business. Born in Juarez, raised in Deming, and living in El Paso for over 10 years now, she explains, “I’m very proud to have opened my business in El Paso. It’s a genuine connection, La Planta is fronteresa.”
While Nguyen and Loya continue to nurture their businesses, Jacob Duran represents what is possible when that seed is grown.
Watch It Grow
For Jacob Duran, 29, barbering began when he was 12 years old while hanging around the shop his uncle worked at.
Duran says his curiosity took over, and he started working on his first clients—his cousin and close friends.
When Duran entered high school, he became known as the barber, cutting his classmates’ hair for free before charging two dollars “for lunch money,” he joked. He entered the school’s cosmetology program, initially interested solely in women’s haircuts and color.
He says a new barbershop opened across the street from his school and they took him in.
“I just walked in there and asked if I could work there,” he said. “I had kind of a drive to be successful; I have always had some sort of desire for that.”
As high school came to an end, Duran says he felt pressured to choose the “right” path — and made a few mistakes. He dropped out of the school’s cosmetology program; feeling that it wouldn’t apply to his barber goals.
“That was probably one of the biggest downfalls I had. At that point, I couldn’t work anywhere,” Duran said.
Determined, Duran took a job at T-Mobile to save for barber school, which cost $28,000.
“[It was] just enough to get me on my feet and allow me to pursue what I really wanted to pursue,” Duran said.
Once licensed, he built his clientele from the ground up. He was full throttle with his passion shining through every client he met.
“You’re going to get stopped sometimes, but you’ve got to keep going, and don’t fold over, don’t give up,” Duran said.
Now, with nearly two decades of experience, Duran has fostered a trustworthy community, a reputation, and a brand for himself. He credits his success to consistency and patience.
“I wasn’t a successful barber at 12, I wasn’t at 18, it took me until about 21 to actually begin to build a solid clientele,” Duran said. “Where I could say, ‘I am okay now.’”
And his story is one that he got to dream of right here in El Paso.
Rooted In Community
Jaylene, Nancy and Jacob each followed different paths, but they share a common denominator – they built their foundation, planted their seed and nurtured their own growth right here in the Sun City.
For those chasing their own dreams, these three entrepreneurs prove that sometimes, the best place to grow is where you are.
