Graduate Invests in FPU as the University Invested in Him

The saying “When one door closes, another door opens” couldn’t be truer for Siro Altamirano (BA ’11). Altamirano was born in Mexico and came to Visalia with his parents at the age of 18 months. In sixth grade, he was placed in advanced learning classes and continued to thrive in high school. Tragically, in 2003, when he was 14 years old, his mother passed away, and Altamirano stepped up to help raise his two younger brothers.

“I went from being an older brother to being a parent,” the 35-year-old said. “I knew how to work by that point. The work ethic had been instilled in me, so I was able to be successful in high school.”

Altamirano’s dream to study aerospace engineering at the University of California, San Diego, was crushed due to his being an undocumented immigrant. Knowing he wouldn’t get federal financial aid, he initially planned to attend College of the Sequoias, Visalia’s junior college. Then a high school counselor introduced Altamirano to FPU’s Samaritan Scholars, a privately funded aid program for students like him. He was awarded a full scholarship to become a Sunbird.

“It came out of left field,” he said. “It was a blessing from God that I ended up at FPU.”

A first-generation graduate with a love for math, Altamirano earned a bachelor’s in accounting and finance. In 2018, he opened his own accounting practice, Apollo Accountancy Solutions. Originally based out of Visalia, it went virtual due to the pandemic and now has 14 team members serving 600 households across the U.S.

This success led Altamirano to give a generous donation to FPU, saying that he’s in a position where he can give back to the organization that greatly invested in him.

“[FPU] taught me the concept of servant-leader,” he said. “And this is just one of the ways I can serve our FPU community.”