Haydeé García-Teacher

In My Own Words February 2019 "Hello friends! It’s a pleasure to tell you about my experience at BECA organization - - now, its mission has been taken over by HEDU.org Foundation. I’m Haydeé del Rosario García Polanco graduated of HEDU, I live in the community called Capulin 1 which belongs to the city of Granada, and I studied teaching at Ricardo Morales Aviles Institution, Carazo. All started one afternoon in 2012 when my sister got a flyer from one of the coordinators of the organization at Bertha Pacheco school. She was not interested in the scholarship since she thought that she had to invest economically. However, I decided to keep the flyer. It is worth mentioning that I was one year away to finish high school. Next year, I went to get more information about the scholarship, I remember the first person to attend me was Reynaldo, and then Maryury. They asked to write my autobiography, and adding it with the other documents required. Also, I got a visit from one of the coordinators of the organization in my house. Finally, I passed all the process to classified the scholarship, and I was so excited when they gave me the good news about the scholarship. That was the beginning of a new experience in my life! Since I began the course about computing in ACC, I learned a lot of things and one of them was how to use a computer, something that was unknown to me. We were twenty students in the course, and the people from the organization were friendly and nice to us. Also, I developed the values of responsibility and punctuality. Everything has been so useful in my life. Thankfully to the values learned, commitment, and the enthusiasm to continued with my studies I achieved to finish the social project at Cristóbal Rugama elementary school in Masaya. It had a period of three months. This experience helped to find out my teacher vocation I saw many educational needs in the classroom. My partner Yanina Castañeda worked with me in the first grad. She is from Granada, too. Once I finished it, I got officially the full scholarship to study teaching. That was a dream came true! Having a scholarship that will help me to pay the expenses of my studies because my parents could not pay for it. This process happened in 2014. I started my studies at Normal Ricardo Morales Avilés School, Jinotepe, Carazo. The distance was one the reason made me stay as a boarding student but it was hard to move away from my family. I traveled to school every Monday and I got back home on Friday. I spent more time at school than home but my passion for teaching and my family were my power to be strong. There were not only downs in my journey as a student I had good moments with my classmates, teachers and all the people from the school. I considered them my second family. I could know better my classmates- we had and shared so many experiences that I will never forget. Thank God I was a good student that helped me to get the second place as the best student. When I was in my second year I got one of the best scores in the classroom that made to be in first place. I was so excited to see my photography and name on the mural of the main corridor of the school. I gave my internship for three months in Luis León Espinoza School, Jinotepe, and then five months in San Juan Bosco, Granada. In 2017, I got my degree as a teacher of elementary school. The following year I went to the department of education from Granada to register my documents. They gave me the opportunity to work as a volunteer at the program called “Técnico de Modalidad de Jóvenes y Adultos”, it is guided for young and adult people that could not study elementary school or high school. I went to deliver my curriculum vitae in community school but it was not hiring, so I went to Salesiano school and then a week after they called me to have an interview. There were another two more candidates applying for the position so we had to pass by a process and three interviews. In the end, they selected me for being the new teacher. It was a nice experience to work for a private school I learned differents things. When I had three months to be part of this school I got a call from the department of education Granada (MINED) giving me the news that I was promoted as a Municipal Teaching Technique for Young People and Adults because of my good performing during my internship of a volunteer. It was not an easy decision to resign my job in Salesiano school but I had to do it because I wanted to get a permanent position in the department of education. I had to be able to work from 8 am to 5 pm so I could not keep both jobs. I had to choose. Currently, I have eight months working for the department of education in Granada. It has helped me to know better my community and the institution. Thank God I have a job, and I am really grateful with the organization that gave the support to achieve one my dreams, that comes true do, and I’m able to help economically my parents. I still remember the words from the founder of BECA Walter when he told me in one of the social projects: “I BELIEVE in YOU”. These words made me think. Thanks, BECA.org and HEDU.org for helping to make a change in the life of young people because thanks to you today I have a decent job and the desire to continue my studies in education. God bless you!. *Translated by Urania Montoya (February 2019)