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Hi everyone! My name is Emily and I am a rising sophomore at Stanford University. My first-hand experience as a student sparked my passion for education reform. Here in Guatemala I have the incredible opportunity to see first-hand that ways that different communities and organizations like School the World are working towards improving education. I will be traveling to our communities along with Program Associate, Lily Garcia, and our wonderful driver, Fredy Luna. I can’t wait to share my experiences with you as School the World’s first Digital Field Intern through my series, Tales From the Field!
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Celia and Magdalena Leon Tirquiz are sisters, united by both blood and their burning desire to learn.
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Dear Friends,
It was my first visit to Xesic. I was there with eight girls from the Sidwell Friends School, Washington DC this past March. They had come to help finish the school they had donated to the community.
We, the community so proudly told us, were the first Americans to visit Xesic. Except for Angel and his brother Giovanni of course.
"I am from New York!" he said proudly. Well, he wasn't actually from New York, it turned out. But he was an American. From Los Angeles.
Angel's parents left Los Angeles and came back home to Xesic when he was four years old and his brother was two. He was seven now and in second grade.
Angel didn't remember much about his life in the US, he said. But as I watched him among his classmates, the impact of just those four years in the United States was undeniable.
He was just
so much more advanced, more alert, more inquisitive, more vibrant. When I introduced him to the Mayor he quickly took the Mayor's Gatorade bottle and began reading the label to prove his reading prowess.
I couldn't help but wonder, was it prenatal care that gives him this huge advantage over his classmates? A better diet in the early years? His community, Xesic, is on the government's high priority list for malnutrition. Maybe a Head Start program he participated in? Are there books in the home now?
"Solo el libro de Jesus Cristo," he told me. Only the Bible.
I haven't figured Angel out yet. But I have been back twice to visit him since March. The first time to bring books (Angel was over the moon with the bilingual books!). And again to check up on his teachers and make sure they were keeping him interested. Angel always asks about the girls from Washington, D.C.
But I worry about him. We need to work better, harder and faster if we are going to help Angel.
Sincerely,
Kate Curran
CEO and Founder
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Oliver George is the sophomore class President at Winchester Public High School in Winchester, MA. Ollie traveled with School the World in April.
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Katie Skinner is a freshman at Winchester High School in Winchester, MA. This was her first time traveling with School the World.
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Since returning from Guatemala, I’ve had this awesome feeling of wanting to do more. I figured the best way to fulfill my desire was to volunteer in the School the World office. The things I help with are really basic— usually writing and addressing Thank You notes to the many donors STW gets donations from— but it makes me feel like I’m doing something really good and I know it’s helpful. Having a lot of thank you notes to write is a good thing, it means more and more people are donating to help the students in Guatemala. You won’t find many other places where licking a ton envelopes makes you happy! I’ve learned how much work it takes to keep STW going and I love helping out with odd jobs. While there, I'm always reminded of being in Guatemala with the kids. The pictures around the room of those happy, sweet children make me feel almost as amazing as I did actually being with them. Being in the STW office has become one of my favorite parts of the week!
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