Students, military families and young adults in El Paso, from the West Side and the Upper Valley to the Northeast, the Eastside, Horizon City and Socorro, can work with a Blackburn mentor by video. Each person has one dedicated mentor who meets with them on Mountain time, weekly or more often, with text and phone contact in between. Our team is in Los Angeles, so El Paso sessions are online.
The Texas city on Mountain time
El Paso sits at the far western tip of Texas, closer to Albuquerque and Tucson than to Dallas or Houston, and unlike nearly all of the state it keeps Mountain time. It is also only one hour ahead of California, which makes it one of the easiest places in the country to schedule with a Pacific-based mentor. The Franklin Mountains split the city, the border with Ciudad Juarez runs along its southern edge, and many families have relatives, work or school ties on both sides.
The economy rests on a large military presence, cross-border trade and logistics, health care and education. Those four things produce the situations mentors see most here: teenagers in military families who change schools every few years, first-generation college students balancing classes with a job and family responsibilities, and young adults weighing whether to build a career at home or leave for a bigger Texas metro.
El Paso by the numbers
These figures are for the El Paso metropolitan area, from the Data USA profile of the metro (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 estimates, via Data USA).
- Median age: 33.6 (metro level, ACS 2024 via Data USA). El Paso is a young metro. Many households have teenagers, and a large share of residents are in their twenties, the decade when a mentor is often most useful.
- About 56,800 college students (metro level, ACS 2024 via Data USA). That is a big student population, and many of those students live at home and commute, which can blur the line between high school habits and college expectations. A mentor helps draw that line.
- Average commute: 24.1 minutes (metro level, ACS 2024 via Data USA). Crossing the city around the mountains takes time, and a video session saves a family from adding one more trip to the week.
- 8.8 percent of workers work from home (metro level, ACS 2024 via Data USA). Video is familiar but not universal here, so we keep the setup simple: a link, a quiet spot and a device with a camera.
- Texas schools generally start in early to mid-August (state level, 2026-27 calendars, MDR data reported by WeAreTeachers). For military families, that start often lands just weeks after a summer move.
Session times from El Paso
El Paso is on Mountain time, one hour ahead of Pacific. Because both places observe daylight saving time, the one-hour difference holds all year. Slots here run an hour later on the Pacific side than they would from Houston, Dallas or San Antonio:
| Slot | El Paso (Mountain) | Mentor (Pacific) |
|---|---|---|
| After school | 4:00 pm | 3:00 pm |
| After school, after practice | 5:30 pm | 4:30 pm |
| After work | 7:00 pm | 6:00 pm |
| Evening | 8:00 pm | 7:00 pm |
Early-morning sessions before school or a duty day are available, and weekend sessions work well for students whose weekdays are full. With only one hour between El Paso and your mentor, almost any time that works for you will work for them.
Military moves, desert heat and the school year
Military families in El Paso often move in summer, which means a teen may start a new school in August knowing nobody. One of the advantages of a video mentor is that the relationship does not end at the moving truck. The same mentor, at the same weekly time, can follow a student from El Paso to the next assignment and help them settle in there. Our page on mentoring for military families explains how that works.
Summers are hot and dry, and afternoons are often spent indoors; winters are mild and sunny, with the occasional cold snap. Holidays frequently mean travel to relatives across the border or elsewhere in Texas and Mexico. Video sessions can continue from wherever the family is, as long as there is a connection.
Parents ask us a few El Paso-specific questions. Can mentoring keep going if we get orders? Yes. Can you help a first-generation college student who is figuring out the system alone? Yes. Can a parent living in Ciudad Juarez or another city receive updates? Updates go to whichever parent or guardian the family names, by phone, text or video, wherever they live.
Who we work with
- High school students ages 13 and up, with a parent involved. See mentoring for high school students.
- First-generation and commuting college students. See mentoring for first-generation college students.
- Young adults and adults who want structure, accountability and a plan for work and life.
Mentors are not tutors, therapists or admissions counselors. See how online mentoring works and mentoring across Texas.
Related
- Online mentoring and coaching in Texas
- Online mentoring in Albuquerque
- Online mentoring in Tucson
- Online mentoring in San Antonio
- When military kids change schools
Common questions
What time are sessions for El Paso on Mountain time?
Sessions are booked on Mountain time, and your mentor is one hour behind on Pacific time. A 4:00 pm after-school session in El Paso is 3:00 pm Pacific, and a 7:00 pm session after work is 6:00 pm Pacific. Early-morning and weekend times are available.
Can mentoring continue through a military move?
Yes. Because sessions are by video, the same mentor can stay with a student through a permanent change of station and at the next installation. Many families keep the same weekly time through the move so the student has one thing that does not change.
Do you work with college students in El Paso?
Yes. Mentors work with students who live on their own and with students who live at home and commute, helping with weekly schedules, deadlines, work hours and staying on track to finish. With the student’s permission, parents can receive updates.
Is there an in-person option in El Paso?
No. In-person sessions are offered only in Los Angeles, so El Paso clients meet their mentor by video. Text and phone contact between sessions keeps the plan moving.
Get started
Thinking about a mentor for someone in El Paso? Call (888) 305-5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.
Last updated .
Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.