Below are profiles of two students who have benefitted greatly in the last year from your support of the secondary education program.

Sixteen-year old Daniela Chiroy lives in the village of San Gaspar with her mother and three sisters. Daniela´s mother recently separated from the girls’ father and supports the family with the meager wage she earns as a waitress at a restaurant in Antigua. Because of the long hours her mother works, Daniela is responsible for taking care of her younger sister.

Shortly after the start of the 2011 school year, the director of Daniela’s school visited Common Hope’s Scholarship Administration Manager Nineth García to let her know that Daniela was having trouble with some of her classes. Nineth referred Daniela to Common Hope´s youth support programs, where she began to attend the study club to get help with her homework.

 A few months later, the school director visited Nineth again, this time with good news. Not only had Daniela´s grades improved significantly, but she had competed against students from other schools in a drawing competition in Antigua and won first place. Currently, her grades are still high and she has received many congratulations on her win.       

María José Batres is 17 years old and lives with her mother, father, and two sisters in a village outside Antigua. The family has a fairly stable income that they bring in by serving as caretakers of the property where they live. María José is currently in high school, studying to be a mechanic. Her days are longer than most other high school students, because the career path for mechanics includes both morning and afternoon sessions.

María José´s busy schedule doesn’t stop her from attending youth group activities all day on Saturday and helping Youth Support Coordinator Jovita Tay plan and facilitate activities. “She attends both the Saturday morning group and the Saturday afternoon group for leaders,” says Jovita. “She helps me coordinate activities and give talks … she is a great helper.” On top of all this, María José still manages to be one of the top students in her class.

For both Daniela and María José, Common Hope’s Secondary Education and Youth Support Programs provide the academic and social support and enrichment that they need to not only stay in school but excel.

Daniela

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