Ready and eager to begin classes next week, Ismael Angel is one of 14 indigenous Mayan students who successfully won a scholarship at the Adopt-a-Village Maya Jaguar High School. Ismael is late in entering high school—he is 17. His father, a subsistence farmer with several children, was too poor to buy his son’s notebooks and pencils when most children begin school; that meant that Ismael couldn’t begin classes until he was 8 years old. When he graduated from middle school, hope for further study was blocked—education is not free in Guatemala. 95% of impoverished Mayan youth are effectively eliminated from gaining a high school degree due to the prohibitively high costs of a high school education. His destiny appeared that it would mirror that of his father and grandfather-- to labor in the fields for the rest of his life. But one day, he learned about scholarship opportunities at the Maya Jaguar High School. Successful in his interview and entrance exams, he is now about to embark upon a new life through a high school education. Now he can dare to dream of the future— a better life with gainful employment or further studies that will lead to a vocation or profession. Write to us at guatvillage@aol if you would like to learn more about opportunities to help Mayan youth achieve a high school diploma.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 17:30:01 +0000
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