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REACHING DREAMS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
REACHING DREAMS for…
HUMAN RIGHTS with Lucia
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Lucía is a recent graduate of the Reaching Dreams program, which provides promising students in San Pablo with academic support, school supplies and tuition scholarships. Tell me a little about yourself? My name is Lucía, I am 20 years old. I live in San Pablo with my parents, and I have been in the Reaching Dreams program for three years. What challenges have you faced in pursuing your education? My mom has diabetes, and she had a relapse so she’s sick. Since I’m the only one who can stay with her, I take care of her. I have siblings, but they are already married. Neither of my parents received this kind of educational opportunity. My father studied up to 4th grade and my mother never went to school. My father is a day laborer, and my mother is a homemaker. What motivated you to join the Reaching Dreams Program? What motivated me was the opportunity to get a diploma and pursue my studies. I was interested in studying before, and then I met Paulina, the Reaching Dreams Coordinator, and, thanks be to God, I’ve been able to obtain my diploma as a Bilingual Secretary. What made you decide you want to study this? I was deciding between other courses, but I decided on Bilingual Secretary because, honestly, I like business administration but I’m not that great with numbers. I like working with others and working in the community. What is your ideal future career? Well, the way I think about it, wherever there is an opportu‐nity, that’s where I’ll go! If it’s here in my town, or another town…or even in another country, I would make the most of whatever comes. To tell you the truth, I’d really like to travel to another country, like the United States. According to what I’ve heard, there are more opportunities for work. Also, I’d like to get to know the culture, the people who live there and what they are like. From your perspective, why is it so important that we invest in education, specifically in San Pablo? Because it’s very important that young people are able to go to school and can improve the quality of their lives and that of their parents. Many of our parents did not have that opportunity, so those of us who have the chance to study had better make the most of it. It’s important to educate ourselves so that we can have more economic possibilities and a stable life. Have you encountered any obstacles studying as a woman? My parents always treated all of us kids equally, they never made me feel like I was less because I am a woman. They’ve always sup‐ported me and kept me motivated. What have you most appreciated in being a participant in the program? I think when the pandemic started, and we created the hand san‐itizer spray. This gave me a lot of experience in new areas like sales. At the beginning I was very shy about going out to sell the spray because I’d never sold anything before, but I feel like now I have the confidence to be able to offer a product and speak to a person about it. What changes have you noticed within yourself in these last three years in the program both personally and academically? Well, not only have I gained a diploma but also my under‐standing of lots of things has progressed. Personally, three years ago, I struggled to speak in public. For example, if I needed to introduce myself, I could barely share anything. I was not very social. But now, it’s different, I talk with everyone! Now that you have graduated, what are your plans for the future? Do you feel optimistic? I want to find work, go to university, and earn a degree in Human Rights. We see many women suffering from violence from their spouses and I can’t bear to see that. Sometimes women are treated as less than equals. I am positive that I can keep progressing and I’m sure that through continuing my education at a university, I will be able to continue on this path. Is there anything you’d like to say directly to our donors? I am grateful to all the donors, and I am truly very appreciative of them because they have helped me a lot. Even through the COVID-19 pandemic, they never abandoned us, and continued to support us. For anyone who is considering donating, they should definitely donate because the education that donors give us is a noble gesture on their part that helps us. Studying is not easy because it requires money, and in our community there aren’t many possibilities.
