We went to see 5 previous scholarship winners today and one of them won a scholarship this year. It’s very rare to be able to see the impacts or part of the end-results of donations or community service, but we (the students and teachers that go on the trip) were able to do so. After the end of the trip and March break, we will share how the donations are used and how The Study’s community helps impact the community and lives of the people in Diria. We should do this so that students, families, etc. continue to donate in the future and can understand how the little things they do can make a big impact all together, as a community. This effect models synergy where little pieces taken by individuals (ex. Toonies) can become something very impactful when everyone comes together. Although, the main purpose of this trip is to support the Diria institute, by visiting, buying products, and tipping staff (or people who aren’t staff but only work to get a tip) at Elsa’s, Tio Antonio, restaurants, hotels, etc., we are helping the Nicaraguan economy .
When we met the past scholarship winners, we gave each household one bag of groceries, except the home with two sisters that won a scholarship who received two bags. It was impressive to meet the different scholarship winners because they are able to take their studies more seriously in their difficult living situations, especially compared to other students who could be born into a comfortable life of luxury. The first student whom we met, Emely, is a law student who studies many hours a day. She studies while on the bus to Managua, which takes 1 to 1.5 hours, where she takes her classes that start at 11 am and end at 7 pm, then she studies from 9 pm-1 am at home. She has said that she prefers to study at her dining room table instead of in her bedroom, because she is more likely to fall asleep in her room. I can easily relate to this statement, but I could never imagine having to stay up late to study, every single day.
My mother decided to sponsor a girl’s education, because she felt that compared to the impact the scholarship would have, the money was not that much. Although, most of the scholarship winners were studying medicine, I felt that it was important for there to be more women having influence in the tech-world and the future of their communities’ advancements . So, I had asked my mom to ask Ms. Liogas to make her choice of the girl who would win the extra scholarship with an Engineering degree in mind. And as luck would have it, the second place winner wanted to study Engineering. Today, we met Josselyng at her grandmother’s home and I was able to meet her in-person and talk to her. The more I did so, the more glad I was that my mother came forward to finance her education. Her aunt and my mom are both accountants, so I asked Mme. Bousser to translate that I hoped more women would be able to pursue their passions for math and studying and that I believed she would make her family very proud. I hope Ava is also able to meet the girl whom her family sponsored.
When we went to the Diria institute for the opening ceremony and to meet our buddies, we were told to choose buddies as they weren’t assigned. A girl with a bubbly personality was standing next to me, so we looked at each other when Mme. Bousser told us to find buddies. My buddy, Maria, was coincidentally born on the same day and the same year as me. Maybe tomorrow I’ll ask her at what hour she was born. The chances seem so impossibly low because there are 365 days in a year and 16 buddies and 400 students in the school. It was very difficult to communicate with her as she spoke Spanish and I did not (I chose the Mandarin course instead of Spanish). This evening, I’m going to try to make flashcards/ a mini-Spanish-English vocabulary with Sophie L.
Live M
