By Carmela Paz Bal | Scholarship Program Coordinator
October marks the end of the school year in Guatemala. Our scholarship participants gathered for one last meeting to reflect on the past school year together. In addition, returning students worked on submitting applications for next school year, while the graduates prepared for their upcoming graduation party. All the young women also enjoyed preparing cards together to wish their sponsors a Merry Christmas. It was a festive gathering!
The young women reflected on 2015 by sharing their bittersweet sentiments. There was a collective feeling of relief for the end of the school year, mostly because many faced both academic and personal challenges. The young women also expressed pride and joy in their accomplishments, despite their many challenges. They never imagined they would have completed this school year without the support of each other and the support of Kateri Tekakwitha Fund.
One student in particular, Aura, talked about how she often felt discouraged in her studies. As a young girl, Aura did not have the opportunity to attend school. However, at the age of 18, through the support of the Kateri Tekakwitha Fund, she had the chance to return to elementary school. Although she often felt like she lagged behind her classmates, she pushed onwards to face her fears and overcome her challenges by finding creative solutions. She has since then completed Junior High! This year, she was nominated as the representative of her grade, a high honor given to the best student of the class. She represented her grade by carrying the flag in the Guatemalan Independence Day parade. Her parents and siblings couldn’t be more proud of her.
We congratulate and recognize our six high school graduates who will receive degrees in 2015 in the following subjects:
We commend our continuing scholarship participants who completed the following grades in 2015:
A "Clausura" , end of the year party, is planned for November. At this party, all the young women will celebrate the ending of another sucessful year.
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