Help Michelle dream big!!
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This year I had the opportunity to apply to Booth University College (the Salvation Army University) in Canada, and I’ve been accepted by them to start the fall term of 2018. Why am I asking for help? Well, since I work as a freelancer, financial institutions don’t believe that I can support myself and accessing a loan for school is difficult. Unfortunately I cannot get any financial help from my family, so I need to find another way to support my educational desires. The $5000 is going to pay part of my tuition for my first year. I plan on working hard, getting high grades in university so eventually I can apply to scholarships and continue with my studies so one day I can finally say: “Mom, I made it”.
Background story:
Have you ever tried to step into someone else’s shoes??
I’ve had the privilege as a child to go to school instead of working or fetching water to bring back to my home and family. To be honest, I never thought that things could go wrong in my life until my mom passed away from cancer and that’s when I started to grow up and realize that life is like a roller-coaster.
When my mom passed away I made a decision. I decided to support my family instead of continuing my education. I started working as a Camera operator for a local educational tv show. I developed my skills in photography and worked for 4 years at an art institute taking pictures and producing audio visual material from events held by the students or teachers. At some point I felt I was stuck, and those feelings were the result of not having the chance to apply for a promotion or make enough money since I don’t have a degree. But the job was my way to survive so I held onto that position.
English was something that I really enjoyed learning. Languages in general are something that I love and have always tried to learn on my own. In 2016, I discovered a Canadian NGO that works with remote communities in my country and they were looking for a translator (English to Spanish and vice versa).
That’s how I got involved in the world of development and sustainability, both concepts I was unfamiliar with in the past. My job was to translate for facilitators from Canada arriving with groups of teenagers eager to learn about social issues directly in other parts of the world. These young participants come to my country to support remote indigenous communities in the highlands and in the Amazon. Getting directly involved opened my eyes to social issues such as lack of access to education, clean water and opportunities to advance in the world.
I’ve worked as a freelancer for more than a two years now, bringing teenagers and members of impoverished communities together in order to build classrooms, plants for water treatment, bathrooms, and a kitchen/cafeteria for schools. It's been very motivating to see young people from different backgrounds and cultures learning and understanding that even if money could fix these issues, by coming here and working shoulder to shoulder with members of the communities, they feel they matter in this world, and there’s someone who cares about them.
I love my job and I’m happy doing it. However, I feel it is the right time to keep growing professionally so I can make the most difference. My mom always told me that education is the most important component in a society, and as a human, but it wasn’t until I was in need of access to a higher education that I recognized that it was a real challenge to study in a public university in Ecuador. Having to take an standardized test and get more than 800 points in it so I could apply for the career I wanted to pursuit. Waiting later for the government to let me know that the only spot for a Bachelor in Communication that was assigned to me was in Loja, a city 12 hours away from my hometown where my family and my job was. My mom couldn’t finish university because she had to take care of her family and it was her decision, but she was able to provide for our house with everything that we needed. Nowadays, the world functions differently - in order to provide for your family you need an education.
I know I could access higher education in my own country, but after working during almost 2 years in the Social Development field, I found my passion and finally know what I want for my future and the future of my country. I would like to study “International Development” motivated by all the amazing people I’ve met, and thinking about what I can do for them, because they deserve to have opportunities just like me, but I’m well aware that those opportunities won't come to them unless there’s caring people prepared to address and bring a solution to their issues, people interested in making a difference in this world.
Background story:
Have you ever tried to step into someone else’s shoes??
I’ve had the privilege as a child to go to school instead of working or fetching water to bring back to my home and family. To be honest, I never thought that things could go wrong in my life until my mom passed away from cancer and that’s when I started to grow up and realize that life is like a roller-coaster.
When my mom passed away I made a decision. I decided to support my family instead of continuing my education. I started working as a Camera operator for a local educational tv show. I developed my skills in photography and worked for 4 years at an art institute taking pictures and producing audio visual material from events held by the students or teachers. At some point I felt I was stuck, and those feelings were the result of not having the chance to apply for a promotion or make enough money since I don’t have a degree. But the job was my way to survive so I held onto that position.
English was something that I really enjoyed learning. Languages in general are something that I love and have always tried to learn on my own. In 2016, I discovered a Canadian NGO that works with remote communities in my country and they were looking for a translator (English to Spanish and vice versa).
That’s how I got involved in the world of development and sustainability, both concepts I was unfamiliar with in the past. My job was to translate for facilitators from Canada arriving with groups of teenagers eager to learn about social issues directly in other parts of the world. These young participants come to my country to support remote indigenous communities in the highlands and in the Amazon. Getting directly involved opened my eyes to social issues such as lack of access to education, clean water and opportunities to advance in the world.
I’ve worked as a freelancer for more than a two years now, bringing teenagers and members of impoverished communities together in order to build classrooms, plants for water treatment, bathrooms, and a kitchen/cafeteria for schools. It's been very motivating to see young people from different backgrounds and cultures learning and understanding that even if money could fix these issues, by coming here and working shoulder to shoulder with members of the communities, they feel they matter in this world, and there’s someone who cares about them.
I love my job and I’m happy doing it. However, I feel it is the right time to keep growing professionally so I can make the most difference. My mom always told me that education is the most important component in a society, and as a human, but it wasn’t until I was in need of access to a higher education that I recognized that it was a real challenge to study in a public university in Ecuador. Having to take an standardized test and get more than 800 points in it so I could apply for the career I wanted to pursuit. Waiting later for the government to let me know that the only spot for a Bachelor in Communication that was assigned to me was in Loja, a city 12 hours away from my hometown where my family and my job was. My mom couldn’t finish university because she had to take care of her family and it was her decision, but she was able to provide for our house with everything that we needed. Nowadays, the world functions differently - in order to provide for your family you need an education.
I know I could access higher education in my own country, but after working during almost 2 years in the Social Development field, I found my passion and finally know what I want for my future and the future of my country. I would like to study “International Development” motivated by all the amazing people I’ve met, and thinking about what I can do for them, because they deserve to have opportunities just like me, but I’m well aware that those opportunities won't come to them unless there’s caring people prepared to address and bring a solution to their issues, people interested in making a difference in this world.
Organizer and beneficiary
Michelle M. Robinson
Organizer
Oscar Zavala
Beneficiary
