Scholarships for Outstanding Students in Argentina

To access letter and photos by VISIONAR scholar Jesica: PLEASE OPEN ATTACHED PDF

Hi, my name is Jesica and, with the help from a VISIONAR scholarship, I am attending the 5th year of university at Universidad Tecnologica Nacional in San Francisco, Argentina, to become an electronics engineer.

This year has been particularly challenging, and it has taught me an important lesson in resilience: I failed one course (Signals Analysis) that was a prerequisite for other courses I needed to take. After days of frustration and disappointment, I readjusted my objectives, my study plan, and my activities. It turned out to be a very productive year after all:

• I advanced on 6th year courses that did not require a prerequisite, so next year I will be able to focus entirely on my final project and thesis.
• I took the opportunity to develop other skills that will be key in my career, such as teaching methodologies, high level programming, training on inclusive university concepts, and other.
• Besides tutoring students, I applied and was offered a position as a teaching assistant in Computer Science
• I was invited to teach mathematics in the university introductory course, with the challenge of providing a new perspective in the field
• I joined a research group on Education Robotics, because I have always had interest in this line of study. One initiative from this group consisted of organizing a workshop to build sumo robots for high school students to inspire them and the general public to follow a career in robotics. A fellow student and I led the workshop that took place every other Saturday with great attendance from students and teachers.
• I am a member of the organizing committee for the Robotics and Electronics Competition for high school students. Many of the kids that attended my workshop signed up for this competition.

 These are the main activities that have occupied my time this year, besides attending classes and doing community service. I feel each activity contributes to my personal and professional growth, and I will be able to catch up on the class I didn’t pass later in the year, without jeopardizing my last year of school (next year). On the contrary, now I will have a better chance to develop a successful final project and thesis. 

I always like to think of this phrase: “There is a motor force that is more powerful than steam, electricity and atomic energy: it is called motivation”, and thank God, I have plenty of motivation to keep working on all my goals.

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To continue helping students like Jesica, we need your help.

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/   and email me if you have questions: gmondino@gmail.com

Thank you for your support!

Gabriela

• VISIONAR_Update_Oct_2017.pdf (PDF)