This year, the Education Committee asked our scholarship students to fill out a questionnaire detailing their future goals, likes, and possible obstacles. This furthers our initiative to focus more on planning forward, earlier in the Colegio experience, to help students begin to identify goals and careers; and to help students begin to think of the academic achievements and vocational courses necessary to achieve those goals. This information also informs and drives the new tutoring initiative we are piloting for our students in 2023.
Below is an installment in a series that showcases the hopes, dreams, and interests of individual students in our CAA Scholarship (beca) program.
*The names have been changed to protect the identities of the students.
Below is an installment in a series that showcases the hopes, dreams, and interests of individual students in our CAA Scholarship (beca) program.
*The names have been changed to protect the identities of the students.
I joined Sofia and her brother Jaime* while we were helping prepare materials for our February beca award meeting. I came specifically to get to know some of the students that CAA Education Committee members have been following for years through attending their award ceremonies. Sofia’s brother introduced himself and reminded me that he had been a beca student and had graduated three years ago. What a thrill to see this evidence of the ripple effect of the Education Committee’s work in one family! His English was excellent and he is currently a student at Technologico de Costa Rica in Cartago. Both he and Sofia, chatting in rapid English, spoke of the motivation of their siblings, all of whom are pursuing advanced education. This is in a family where the father is unable to work due to cancer and other family members pick coffee.
This school term, Sofia was one of only 35 colegio students taking the exam to be admitted to Colegio Cientifico, located within the campus of UCR San Ramón. As the name says, Colegio Cientifico emphasizes the sciences and shares labs and resources with the university. Sofia’s favorite subjects are chemistry and biology and she hopes to study microbiology and possibly cardiology after graduation from colegio. When asked how she knew about the opportunity to test for Colegio Cientifico, her brother said he encouraged her to apply and provided the contact information for Sofia to follow up.
On her questionnaire, Sofia told us that distance and finances are the barriers that could impact her education. She credits CAA for helping with finances. Later, I caught up with her at a meeting about tutoring opportunities and Sofia told me that her acceptance by the colegio includes an apartment in San Ramón for her, solving the distance issue. I wondered how I would have felt as a high school junior, living away from my family and enrolled in a competitive high school. However, Sofia’s recent letter answers my concerns since she uses words such as “esfuerza” (effort) and “superacion” (overcoming), which demonstrates her outlook. Sofia lists her activities as swimming, basketball, drawing and poetry. I found her to have an engaging and infectious personality, not just for her outstanding academic record, but for her obvious enjoyment of her favorite movies and music. Getting to know her a bit has been its own reward.
~Andrea Carter, CAA Education Committee
On her questionnaire, Sofia told us that distance and finances are the barriers that could impact her education. She credits CAA for helping with finances. Later, I caught up with her at a meeting about tutoring opportunities and Sofia told me that her acceptance by the colegio includes an apartment in San Ramón for her, solving the distance issue. I wondered how I would have felt as a high school junior, living away from my family and enrolled in a competitive high school. However, Sofia’s recent letter answers my concerns since she uses words such as “esfuerza” (effort) and “superacion” (overcoming), which demonstrates her outlook. Sofia lists her activities as swimming, basketball, drawing and poetry. I found her to have an engaging and infectious personality, not just for her outstanding academic record, but for her obvious enjoyment of her favorite movies and music. Getting to know her a bit has been its own reward.
~Andrea Carter, CAA Education Committee
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