An Interview with a Graduating Scholar:
In Eduardo Rey’s 6 years in the Youth Development Program, he’s shown great commitment to his education. Now, he is showing commitment to his community as he helps us with vacation activities for the children in the library. We interviewed him so that you can read his reflections on how far he’s come. (This interview has been translated from Spanish.)
Eduardo Rey, we were so struck by the comment you made to your sponsor (see quote in profile at the bottom of this page). Could you tell us why you said what you did–and how you feel you’ve changed through your education?
I never imagined that I would be a professional. I thought that I’d be a migrant laborer, because I didn’t receive any financial support from my parents. But ever since I was a little kid I wanted to be someone special in my community. Thanks to the help of Limitless Horizons Ixil, I’ve been able to achieve my goals. Every day I’m learning new things and improving, and my perspective on life is always evolving. If LHI hadn’t helped me, I wouldn’t be where I am now.
What have you enjoyed most about working in the Saber Sin Limítes library the last few months?
More than anything else, I love being with the kids. They inspire me and motivate me to come to work every day.
Tell us about the internship experience you had this year as part of your high school program. We know you were working in a classroom, and we heard about one little boy you affected.
When I started my internship, I was just observing the classroom. And I saw that the teacher wasn’t paying attention to one of the kids. He was 8 years old. He didn’t talk to anyone and wasn’t involved in class. He didn’t pay attention and he didn’t take notes. So when I got the chance to start interacting with the kids, I started talking to him. I asked why he wasn’t writing, and he said that he didn’t have a pencil. The next day, I asked him again why he wasn’t taking notes, and he said he didn’t have a notebook. I went to his house and talked to his parents. I gave him a pencil and a notebook. And I talked to him a lot. And he started to write and to relate to the other kids.
Wow, it’s just what you are doing in the library, too–making a difference for the kids who are walking in your footsteps.
I helped him feel better among his peers. The teachers told me that he had repeated the grade 3 times. I asked him why he hadn’t passed, and he said there was a very strict and angry teacher who had hit him once. He was so scared of the teacher he stopped going to class.
What do you want to do with your life?
I am fighting to help my family–but not only my family. I also want to fight for the rest, to improve society. Many who start doing well leave the rest behind. But I want to help others.
Eduardo Rey inspires our work, and we hope he inspires you too.
Eduardo Rey, a soon-to-be high school graduate completing LHI’s program this year, is a shining example of a youth who has taken advantage of the resources you’ve enabled us to provide and is committed to giving back to his community. As he said in his last letter to his sponsor:
“I’m now in the final stages of my degree. I never imagined it, but now I’m even motivated to continue to university. Life teaches us a lot of things–I remember how my life was in the past, and I compare it to today, and it’s so different. I don’t think I will ever go back [to how I was]–I will be an example of a young person who changes society.“
And he is changing society! Eduardo Rey studied to be a teacher in Guatemala City and spent his work-study hours in his school’s library. He then brought that experience to Chajul, completing his school’s community service requirement in our Saber Sin Límites Community Library. He was outstanding in his work in the library: helping students complete homework assignments and do research, delivering story hour, and supporting in library operations.
With the school year ending in October, we recently began 3 months of vacation programming and special activities in the library to keep kids engaged in learning during their break. We were so impressed with Eduardo Rey’s work during the school year that we decided to hire him to help support with our literacy and educational activities.
Mother, Daughter, and the Loom: traditional knowledge, evolving art forms
The tradition of weaving in Chajul is not static–like any aspect of culture, it is dynamic and evolving, an art form for creative expression and constant innovation.
One of our stellar weavers in the LHI Artisan Program is María Asicona Asicona. María is a mother of 5–the oldest is Carmen, an LHI youth, and the youngest is Esperanza, pictured here with her mom.
With her earnings from the LHI artisan program, María buys school supplies for Carmen and her other two children who are in middle school. Her skills not only allow her to earn an income, they provide a creative outlet for her and are a source of pride in her abilities and her cultural traditions.
Now, she’s teaching Esperanza these skills so that Esperanza can share the pride her mother enjoys and continue developing the craft as a member of Chajul’s next generation of weavers.
You can see and purchase handwoven scarves from our talented weavers on ReachandTeach.com.
They’d make perfect gifts for the winter holidays!