Hannah Lacey, Winchester MA
Hi, I am Hannah Lacey.
This year was my second time traveling with School the World. Overall, It was another amazing experience and I am looking forward to returning again next year. Although the whole trip was great, one of the highlights was getting a chance to go back to my old community and the school I funded and built last year. I was so anxious getting there. I wondered if the students we bonded with would remember us; if the school would look the same, and hoped that everything was going well. When I got there, I was thrilled. It was so amazing to see something that I had fundraised for and that I worked on so hard be truly successful. I saw so many familiar faces and friends from last year.
I even got to see the women I shadowed [spent a day experiencing the life of a Mayan villager with] last year. Her name is Sebastiana. She has three sons- all under the age of 5. It was so amazing to see her and it felt amazing that she remembered me. I also was able to track down one of my friends from last year- her name is Flor Sherly. She became especially close with my friend Carolyn. Carolyn gave me a bunch of photos along with a letter to give to Flor Cherly. She could not have been more excited when I gave them to her. She was showing them off to her friends and family and would not stop looking at them. I asked her about school and she told me that she graduated the 6th grade and is taking time off, but is planning on going to middle school, high school, and even university! That was so wonderful to hear. She is 14 and soon many of her friends and other girls her age will be getting married and having children, but she wants to continue her education. Because of the reconnections with Sebastiana and Flor Cherly, I truly felt like we made a lasting impact on this community.
