Voices of Hope: Achieving Success

In this captivating episode, we chat with an exceptional student who shares his extraordinary success story after receiving help from our foundation. From obstacles to success, join us as we uncover the transformative moments that paved the way for his remarkable achievements.

Hello everyone and welcome, you are listening to the Voices of Hope podcast from our school in Guatemala. Our 20th anniversary is in 2023 and we want to celebrate by sharing our stories with you. Each episode will have a special guest who has been a part of our journey and success. Their stories will inspire you and we hope you learn a thing or two along the way about our wonderful country Guatemala. Let’s get started!

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Hello and welcome to our eighth episode of Voices of Hope. My name is Roxana I am the Communication Coordinator at Education for the Children Foundation. I work with the team from our offices in Guatemala the United States and England spreading the word about our wonderful foundation and inspiring people to visit our school. Throughout this series I will be talking to people who have made the school possible, from students, sponsors and even volunteers. Today our guest is a former student of the School of Hope his name is Luis Alfredo Vázquez

Welcome to Luis Alfredo. We are very happy to be talking with you today. I think this is one of the most beautiful stories we are going to tell in our podcast series. How are you today?

Good afternoon, thanks for the opportunity, well,I am fine, thank God, everything is fine.

We are curious and would love to hear about when you started studying at the School of Hope?

Well, I started at the School of Hope in 2008 or 2009, I don't remember the exact date.

How did you get to know the foundation? It was through a friend or a neighbor who recommended it to you?

A classmate with whom I studied in Pastores, where I live, was the one who mentioned the opportunity to me. She had already applied and had been accepted, so that's how I came to the foundation.

And what grade did you start in?

8th grade

The school has been located in various places. When you started, was it already in Jocotenango or was it somewhere else?

It was in Jocotenango, only not in the area where it is now, but in the plazuela the central park of Jocotenango.

What differences do you see between the previous school and where we are now?

The facilities have improved a lot, because where I studied, the space was very small, the equipment and the furniture was deteriorating, so now I think the facilities are very nice.

And speaking of the new school, if I asked you to describe it, how would you do it? with the colors or the space? How would you describe the new school?

Well, it would be the space. They now have a large space better organized in terms of grades and the psychology offices. I also saw the kitchen, which is very large too.

How was your experience studying there? Was it good, was it interactive?

It was very good. Even though my life has always been one of working and studying, here I focused a lot on my studies and during my stay at the foundation I was able to learn many things.

What was your favorite class?

It was accounting and mathematics because I like numbers a lot.

And why did you like those classes because of your teachers or because of the subject?

Well, it was more because of the subject, as I have always liked numbers, doing analysis, researching, economics, so that's why I liked those classes.

How did your life change between before you joined the foundation and when you joined the foundation?

When I joined the foundation, it was quite a drastic change because my parents did not have the opportunity to study, my mother reached third grade and my father sixth grade. I was the only one in my family who managed to graduate. It was thanks to the foundation that the doors were opened to me and I was given the opportunity to finish my high school education. Unlike my siblings who unfortunately were not able to finish and were left with only basic education. I was able to finish my high school education and thanks to that, doors were also opened to me in companies and I was able to get a better job than many who unfortunately do not have the opportunity to study. As a child I focused a lot on agriculture so I had to work very hard in the fields. Now when I see myself I say what a change it is because if I had not entered the foundation maybe I would be in the field or working in a tough job. I was given the opportunity and thank God I am in front of a computer and not behind a barbecue.

How far did your studies take you?

I graduated as a chartered accountant and I had the opportunity to spend two years at university studying public accounting and auditing.

What a joy. What a good thing. Could you tell us what your life was like before you joined the foundation?

Well, my life before joining the foundation was quite complicated because I come from a family of limited resources and we have always had to struggle to survive day by day. We almost had to stop studying because I didn't have enough resources to be able to continue. When I came to the foundation I was able to continue with my studies.

So this gave you new opportunities, didn't it?

Yes, yes, because I was able to finish my high school studies and be able to opt for university, which unfortunately for personal reasons I was not able to continue, but coming to the foundation opened many doors for me.

And at this moment in your life, what are you doing? Do you have a job, an enterprise or a new project?

I have been working in a company for five years and at the same time I also have a business, a shop. I also have a project in avocado cultivation and I am already working on it and I have a good plantation as well.

With accounting, part of what I currently do has to do a lot with numbers, so I think that the process of my life has been fitting in little by little and everything is related from what I liked as a child to what I do now.

And the support of the scholarship department, through Patty, has been part of this, hasn't it? Because I imagine that they helped you choose your career and see what jobs were possible for you?

I do remember that they guided us, once a person came to tell us part of his experience of what he had focused on after leaving school. It was the fact that he started his own business. Apart from being a professional, he also dedicated himself to the business. I think that's where it opened up my eyes to be able to do it, not only for him but also for me to be able to do it.

What would you say to the students who are currently in school?

Well, what I can tell them is that they should strive for their goals, that they should take advantage of these opportunities that the foundation is giving them because they are unique in life. As many people say, opportunities come only once and when they come, you have to take advantage of them.

I know that this question is a bit difficult but we like to hear the answers to these questions.

Do you have a favorite memory of an activity at school that has marked your life and that you will always remember?

Well, one activity that I remember was going to the AutoSafari Chapin, an animal zoo and one of the most visited tourist destinations near Escuintla, Guatemala. The park has several areas including: Animal reserve with areas for lions, giraffes, hippos and other species Zoo tour. A volunteer paid for everything and it was something that impacted my life because until then I hadn't had the opportunity to go out to places. That time they gave us the opportunity to go, it was a beautiful experience that marked my life to be able to enjoy what life gives us.

It's time for a special segment. Now you have 15 seconds to share something beautiful about Guatemala, something that you consider a gem, it could be a place, a food or a tradition.

Well, one of the places that for me is very beautiful are the volcanoes that our country, our Guatemala, has because they are good places to go and explore. I have had the opportunity to climb the volcano of Acatenango twice and it is a beautiful experience. You have to be in good physical health to be able to climb and in good weather because otherwise it is also very complicated to climb it.

We want to remind you about our special competition. Share your favorite photo, tag us and you could win a School of Hope t-shirt. We will be sharing the photos on instagram so make sure you follow us and tag us in your post @eftcfoundation.

The students are why we work day in and day out at the foundation. Everything we do is for them; they are always in our hearts and we are lucky to hear one of their stories today. Thank you Luis Alfredo for your time and for telling us this great story of hope. Wait for our next episode and hear more stories of hope, stay tuned to our social networks @eftcfoundation. Thank you for listening to one of our amazing stories of hope. Please visit our site to sponsor a student, to visit us in Guatemala or learn about what you can do to be a part of our work.