Hello, my name is Jade, native of the community of Santa María Tlahuitoltepec, in the Sierra Norte of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. I am 16 years old. I speak my mother language which is Mixe. I am in the second level of high school and I am a scholarship recipient of the Guadalupe Musalem Fund.
I want to mention that in my community, when I get up and leave my house, the vegetation is what I admire the most. In the neighborhood where I live there are not so many houses, so I really appreciate the landscape and the birds singing.
Regarding my studies, in my school, when you finish the first semester you choose a career between Office Automation Technician and Technician in Integral Community Development. I have chosen the second one that I mentioned. I like to emphasize this because I love this career, especially because the Fund also focuses on that part. We have been developing our proposal for community work in order to carry out social service in each of our respective hometowns.
My proposal consists basically in giving workshops in my community library to promote reading among children. I will not be able to cover the entire target population, but I hope to do so in the future.
As for myself, apart from my studies, I play the violin; I belong to a string orchestra in my community and I also belong to a mariachi band that is still growing.
I like reading and writing a lot in my free time. When it comes to writing a text under my authorship I feel very excited. I love to play chess. And I enjoy singing, drawing, dancing and making "tlacoyales" (hair ties).
Whenever I think about how I became a scholarship beneficiary of the Guadalupe Musalem Fund I am proud of myself.It has helped me a lot with the economic support and knowledge: the trainings we receive every month have strengthened my learning and this gives me ideas and points of view in different situations I face everyday. I have realized that it has changed me, I have grown little by little as a person.
I don't think I have enough words to express my deepest gratitude other than to thank you because with your support we can continue with our preparation in the educational field and be proud young indigenous women with new opportunities.
Thank you!
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Hello everyone, my name is Laura, I am currently a graduate of the Guadalupe Musalem A.C. Fund. I am from a community that is about two hours from the city of Oaxaca, with less than five thousand inhabitants.
For me it is a pleasure to be able to share that I passed my admission exam to study medicine at the Benito Juárez Autonomous University of Oaxaca. Entering this career is extremely difficult, so I am very happy to have been accepted and I want to share that happiness with you.
Being a fellow of the Fund has been quite an adventure, because during this time I felt accompanied by great women who in one way or another contributed to my personal and academic growth. While I received academic support, we worked on other issues related to the empowerment of women, knowledge of our rights, and areas of opportunity. I can also say with complete certainty that by being a fellow of the Guadalupe Musalem Fund, I was able to create a second home and a safe place to learn and grow.
Throughout all this time, it has been incredible for me to discover people who are willing to help other women to complete their studies successfully. So I am very happy and proud to have the opportunity to continue studying and pursue a university career. If all goes well, when I finish my degree as a general practitioner, I hope to have the possibility to study a specialty in dermatology, but for now I want to enjoy the process of being a young university student.
I am infinitely grateful for your support of the Guadalupe Musalem Fund, as it allows us to continue with our dreams and improve our future. Without a doubt, you are also part of a great change in my life.
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Hello dear donor:
My name is Betzabé, proudly originally from the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, Mexico. I am about to finish high school. I feel happy and proud tohave achieved everything I have set out to do and I know that I can improve even more.
I feel very lucky to be a fellow of the Guadalupe Musalem Fund. I remember that when I submitted my application, I was not sure I would be a beneficiary. But when the call came and they told me that I had been selected, it was a moment of joy.
I am very grateful for all the support and training that the FGM provides us, thanks to generous people who trust in the education of us women.
At the beginning of the pandemic, it was very difficult to adapt to the virtual modality, mainly because in my community there is no internet access. It was very complicated to connect to my classes.Then with the scholarship provided by the Guadalupe Musalem Fund, I was able to install the internet and I could access my virtual classes.
The FGM supported me mainly with the training that we received virtually.We were learning how to use different digital platforms to do work, to enter classes, and everything that had to do with school.
In 2022, after two years of working remotely through digital platforms, the FGM organized a week of face-to-face training.It was really special because I met again with my fellow interns.
One of the benefits of being an intern is that we have the support of a tutor.She has been like a second mother. I trust to tell her all my concerns, mainly school issues. But when I feel bad about a situation and need to talk about it with someone, she is always there to talk to me.She is already part of my family.
My plans for the future are to take my entrance exam, pass it, and study Civil Engineering because I like it a lot. I chose this career because my father is a bricklayer. When I was little, I saw him make the plans and sometimes accompanied him. I paid attention to the work he did and when I got to know about careers, I realized that I could study a career that has to do with the field of masonry.
I would be proud to study this career because I would be breaking a stereotype that is very marked in society and I would be following the example my father gave me but with more knowledge and preparation - breaking stereotypes and doing what I like.
I want to thank all the people who donate, for their willingness to support this wonderful project. Thanks to you, many intelligent Oaxacan girls who want to study have the opportunity to continue with their dreams and fulfill them. There are no longer any limitations to achieving what we want.
“In this life, everything is possible and we must always take advantage of all the opportunities that come our way. Everything that they teach us must always be taken advantage of and put into practice”
Sincerely, Betzabé.
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Hello dear donor:
My name is Paola, I am from a community called Santo Domingo Jalieza in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. I am currently studying the first semester of the television- based Community High School. I am 15 years old.
I want to tell you that I love playing basketball in my spare time with my friends, I really like school, my favorite subject is math.
My family is small, my father abandoned us when I was 4 years old and since then my mother has taken care of me and my brother. Being of limited means has made it difficult because we are both studying high school.
To help my mother, I looked for information on the internet about scholarships in order to continue studying. In the search I came across the Fondo Guadalupe Musalem. I liked knowing about all the support that they give to young women like me, that is why I decided to apply for the scholarship.
At the beginning I wanted financial help for my studies and now that I am a fellow I realize that itis much more than that. They really change our lives, they strengthen us with remedial help in physics, chemistry, mathematics, and the most important thing is I have learned in the monthly workshops that women have the freedom and the right to study a profession.
Our workshops are virtual, I have met my colleagues through virtual platforms and it gives me great joy because through them I can learn a little about what other communities in Oaxaca are like.
Since the pandemic began in my community, families were not allowed to leave the community. Since March 20, 2020 we stopped going to school, we no longer saw our family or acquaintances for fear of the disease. All the time we used face masks. Some people got depressed, my mother lost her job, my grandfather and my uncle passed away from COVID 19.
I really want to continue studying and have a professional career in nursing, to help people with their health care since I saw how my grandfather, who died a few months ago, suffered.
I thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of this organization. You cannot imagine all I have learned. I am sure that with your help I will be able to contribute a grain of sand to my community, to strengthen our culture and contribute to changing stereotypes towards women, I want to be an example for many women and show that: “If you want something, and you work on it you can do it ".
Greetings from Santo Domingo Jalieza, Oaxaca!
Sincerely, Paola
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Hello dear donors. My name is Roxana. I am originally from the Costa de Oaxaca region. I am currently in the fifth semester of high school and I am a fellow of the Fondo Guadalupe Musalem A.C.
My experience being part of the Fondo has been very beautiful. I have met many responsible women who, like me, strive to continue studying, be it at the upper secondary level or university.
My parents could not study in high school and although every day they fight for me to continue with my studies, I know that it is very difficult for them to be able to cover these expenses. But thanks to the support that the Fondo has given me, I am achieving my dream of studying and I help my parents to pay for the expenses. I try twice as hard so that later on I will be awarded the university scholarship offered by the Fondo Guadalupe Musalem.
The scholarship has not only been economic, they also provide us with academic advice and workshops that, due to health issues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been taking virtually. Academic advising has become essential for us, since it is a tool to better develop the topics that we could not understand during classes. I share with you that I concluded the fourth semester satisfactorily with an average of 9.4.
In the workshops, they teach us different topics such as sexual and reproductive health, human rights, prevention of gender violence, leadership, and personal finances, among others. Throughout the three years that I have been an intern, I have met many admirable professionals for their causes and work, who share with us their time and their personal and work experiences. They are also women who fight so that our opinion is free and listened to with respect by everyone.
One of the admirable women that I have met from this association is Daniela, who has been my tutor since I joined. She has accompanied me during my academic process and has been aware of my school and personal situation. Despite the distance that separates us due to the pandemic, we have been in communication through social networks.
My goal is to study medicine and specialize in pediatrics and thus be able to offer consultations to people in my community who do not have enough resources to see a health professional.
Today I want to thank you on behalf of my colleagues for your contribution to the Fondo Guadalupe Musalem, to support the education of many Oaxacan indigenous women. We wholeheartedly thank you and invite you to continue being part of this noble cause.
Thank you!
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