Many thanks to conBolivia for your continued support of student scholarships at the UAC-CP. Also, special thanks to Suzanne and her husband Juan Velasco for the time they have taken to regularly visit the College so that they might better understand and offer support to the overall mission and vision of the College.
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From a boarding school for children without parents in one of the poorest areas of Bolivia, Potosi, to third year Nursing student at the UAC-CP, Maria's road has been a long and oftentimes difficult one.
Maria was born in the city of Cochabamba and is one of five children. At 8 years of age, she was sent to live at an orphanage in Potosi. There, she excelled in her studies and blossomed into a right and determined woman. However, at the age of 18, Maria was told that she could no longer remain at the boarding school and would have to leave and find her own way in the world.
Maria's response was that she had a deep desire to continue her education at the university level. Her hopes for a better future were conveyed to the small, US-based non-profit, con Bolivia, and they responded by awarding a scholarship for Maria to studying at the UAC-CP. It was a dream come true for Maria!
Even though far from home and missing her extended family very much, Maria is happy in Carmen Pampa. She appreciates the milder temperatures and the beauty of the region, which is in stark contrast to the harsh climate of Potosi.
As she looks forward to the day she will finish her classes and enters into her "practicum," Maria is pragmatic as to where she would like to be located in Bolivia. "Where the opportunity is," she told me, with a glint of determination in her eye.
Today, there seems to be little that can stand between Maria and her long-term goals. When I asked her, "What next?" she hopefully responded, "To continue my studies and to specialize in anesthesiology." Given her straightforward and positive approach to life, I think that Maria will realize that dream.
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