** PLEASE FIND FULL REPORT WITH PHOTOS IN ATTACHED PDF **
VISIONAR SCHOLARSHIPS - JULY 2017 UPDATE
- Letter and photos by VISIONAR scholar Emilia
- Out in the World – updates from our alumni featuring Ely, 2014 graduate, English teacher
My name is Emilia, I am 19 years old, and I live in San Francisco, Argentina. Currently I am in my second year of university at Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales (UCES), where I am majoring in Psychology. Since I was a little girl, I knew my career would be oriented toward social sciences, because I believe that in interpersonal relationships lie the answers to most questions; that made me decide to study Psychology.
Besides attending classes five days a week, I work part time as a tutor in Spanish, English, Sociology and Anthropology, among other subjects. My work requires time and energy, but I enjoy the experience; it allows me to put in practice what I am learning and to explore various teaching tools to facilitate the learning experience in my students.
My day-to-day is built around my studies, that I am passionate about, my work, necessary in order to support myself beyond the help I receive from VISIONAR, and my art. To me, art represents the possibility to find oneself and others, a beautiful tool to learn to look through new eyes, a fresh perspective. I consider myself a sensitive person and I express my sensitivity through poetry, analog photography, and drawing. Besides my academic goals, I work on sharing my art with others, from publishing my poems to setting up my art exhibits in our local museum. I believe the Psychology major I chose is helping me grow not only academically, but also as an artist.
I would like to thank VISIONAR donors and supporters, who, without even knowing me in person, are generous enough to invest in my future by helping me in the present. I couldn’t be more proud to be part of the VISIONAR family; I value what VISIONAR is doing for me and for my peer scholarship recipients. I also believe in paying it forward and I look forward to contributing to this “chain of help” in the future. This is a way to make the world a better place.
Finally, I would like to share with you some photographs to show you the things I enjoy on a daily basis (PLEASE OPEN PDF TO VIEW PHOTOS)
Out in the world: Your support helped Ely obtain her degree as an English teacher in 2014. She what she has been up to since then.
Where are our VISIONAR alumni now? Just as it is exciting to see our VISIONAR students flourish, it is heart warming to know that those already “out in the world” continue to grow professionally and personally. Today we are featuring one of our alumni, and you will hear from the others in the coming months.
Hi, my name is Ely and I was a VISIONAR scholar until I graduated as an English teacher in 2014.
I work in an English institute called ISFICANA. It's an acronym for instituto San Francisco de intercambio cultural argentino norteamericano. It's linked to the US embassy and they offer scholarships (called ACCESS) for students to have the opportunity to study English for two years. I was lucky to have that group in 2016 and they were excited about learning English and participating in the volunteer activities that are part of the scholarship. With the ACCESS group, we visited the Luciérnaga, which is a home for kids which families have low income. We celebrated children's day with them. Also, we participated in children's day in the institute, as well as Easter, Reading Marathon and the end of the year play. Moreover, we decided to go to the local animal shelter to help with chores. The students loved it so much that they wanted to go again next year.
One of the challenges of my job was to adapt to the adults group as I had never taught adults before I started working in ISFICANA. It turns out, that group was perfect for me! It fits my personality perfectly and we understand each other very well.
Another challenge has been teaching a group of adolescents. Although they are very intelligent, in the beginning they lacked confidence or weren't as outgoing as my other groups, and I think I was too extravagant for them, so I had to tone down my personality. I tried to make them feel confident and build group trust (and also teacher-student bonds) by introducing acting during the first semester. They were shy at first but that helped so much! By the end of the year, they behaved completely differently, making jokes in class and not being so reluctant to talk or laugh in class.
Students at ISFICANA get assigned teachers by the administration, but in my case, it was the students themselves that requested that I come back and teach them again the following year. Given the success with these classes, I got offered to continue into 2017, and the adults group wants to finish their studies with me. I'd be honored to do so! It's so heartwarming having students asking for you to continue as their teacher because it feels like you're doing something right!
I am so thankful for the VISIONAR scholarship I received, because without it, I wouldn't have been able to teach, which is my passion. Thanks to people like you, now I can work doing what I love and it feels wonderful. Thank you!
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MESSAGE FROM VISIONAR TO ALL DONORS AND SUPPORTERS:
Please consider supporting one VISIONAR student through their school year, which represents USD $1,525 in today’s exchange rate. This amount helps pay for university fees, school supplies, books and transportation. As always, any amount is deeply appreciated and welcome.
You may make your donation at: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/support-education-in-argentina/
Thank you for your support!
Gabriela
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