Fund College Program for At-Risk Youth, Costa Rica

Boy with a Ball's University Scholarship program doesn't begin when a person is accepted into college, but much earlier, when they begin building a vision for the future where their lives are used for their God-given potential. 

When Tatiana first began attending the Boy with a Ball English class in the community hall in Los Cuadros, little did she know the impact that it would soon have on her life, not to mention that of her family and neighbors.

Tatiana has lived her whole life in Los Cuadros. The community, northeast of San Jose, was once recognized for its cool evening air and coffee production. Today it's more notoriously known for the drugs and social problems that can be noticed at a glance. Tatiana's life growing up was no exception to the norm, marked with family violence and senseless deaths, with little motivation to make a better life for herself. Tatiana, like many other young women around her, had a baby before finishing high school. She left her studies to be a mother but always knew deep within her that there was something more she was meant for, her potential left untapped.

When the opportunity arose at age 31 to begin learning English, Tatiana's two sons were both in school and getting passing grades, her husband and partner of about 15 years had a full time job and she, for the first time in many years, had the time and energy to pursue something new. That's when Tatiana learned about the new Boy with a Ball English group opening up and decided to give it a shot.

Tatiana did not start out with the highest grades in the class, and like many, she struggled with assignments and getting used to studying after many years. After 3 months and having passed the first level of the class, having built friendships with her classmates, teacher and program volunteers, Tatiana was encouraged by her success. By the time of the final exam for level two, Tatiana not only had the best attendance in the group, but also was starting to think about future in a new way.

Two weeks before the test, it was announced that the student with the best grade and attendance would receive a full scholarship to an outstanding English institute, Wizard, for two years. A few students in the class threw in the towel, thinking they did not have a chance or just doing enough to pass. Some of the brightest students in the class began planning how would they fit the institute schedule into their current situation. Tatiana however, just kept studying. She was humble and when the scholarship was announced and her name was called, although there was a bit of shock, everyone in the group knew that Tatiana deserved that scholarship.

Today, having completed one year as a scholar at Wizard, Tatiana is a different woman than the one we knew on her first day walking in. The quiet woman not quite sure if she belonged has transformed into a confident and assertive student. Tatiana's launch into Wizard not only has her speaking English more fluently each week, but also helped to inspire her to finish her high school degree, knowing that with hard work and faith, she could do it. Soon, with continued efforts and vision, Tatiana will be on her way to the University Scholarship group.

It takes faith in yourself to walk into an new opportunity, work hard and make the most of it. When those around you also have faith in your ability, when they see the power within you, the equation has all that it needs for that untapped potential to explode. Tatiana not only is an example to her two sons, but also to others in her community, young and old. Besides being an active member in Boy with a Ball programs, she often invites young people to her house to help them with their English homework. Tatiana's story is one of faith - and what just a little bit in ourselves and others can do to change the world.