Donation protected
My name is Andreina Ortiz. I am from Batey Libertad, a small town in the Dominican Republic. I am 22 years old and I have two daughters and a step-daughter.
I come from a family of day laborers who worked with the coffee and cocoa crops native to Maimón. There, my parents, as teenagers, had three children: me, Yoel Ortiz, 23 years old, and Joel Ortiz, 20 years old. In search of a better life and a way to facilitate a better education for our family, my parents moved to Jaibon. Shortly after arriving, the family suffered the greatest loss of our lives; the tragic death of my father when I was only 2 years old. My mother being basically a 15 year old girl, our maternal grandmother had to take care of us by working as a housekeeper from 4am to 7pm every day. It was difficult for my mother to work when she came of age because she had to take care of the family and also had no academic preparation.
In spite of everything, my siblings and I were able to attend the public school (which is free), despite it being a bit far from my rural community. After years of sacrifice, I was able to graduate from high school and with an immense desire to enroll in university -- in a country where opportunities are rare, and even less when you are a woman.
As a mother of three and in a challenging financial situation, I am aware of how difficult it will be to fulfill my dreams. And yet, I am still the young woman who wants to be more than a housewife, who wants to exceed the expectations, and above all, who wants to be more than a negative statistic.
I want to study Educational Psychology because through this opportunity I will be able to apply my knowledge to help children and young people in my community. This degree will allow me to support young kids - like I once was - to further develop their skills and have more success and empowerment in school.
This career will have a very positive impact on my life because it would mean the beginning of my goal of becoming a professional, and give me the skills to make a change in my family and community through education. It would be my opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge to provide a solution for some of the behavioral problems of children and young people in schools and support students with accessible, adaptive learning strategies. Furthermore, as a mother, it would mean improving the quality of life of my family - providing us with increased economic stability and more opportunities for my daughters.
On average, a year of university studies will cost me $52, 900 pesos, which is just over $1,000 U.S. dollars. For me to complete my full degree, I will need about $4, 500 U.S dollars. Any support you are able to provide me will spread a positive impact to my children, family, and community.
Help me fulfill that dream!
Andreina
I come from a family of day laborers who worked with the coffee and cocoa crops native to Maimón. There, my parents, as teenagers, had three children: me, Yoel Ortiz, 23 years old, and Joel Ortiz, 20 years old. In search of a better life and a way to facilitate a better education for our family, my parents moved to Jaibon. Shortly after arriving, the family suffered the greatest loss of our lives; the tragic death of my father when I was only 2 years old. My mother being basically a 15 year old girl, our maternal grandmother had to take care of us by working as a housekeeper from 4am to 7pm every day. It was difficult for my mother to work when she came of age because she had to take care of the family and also had no academic preparation.
In spite of everything, my siblings and I were able to attend the public school (which is free), despite it being a bit far from my rural community. After years of sacrifice, I was able to graduate from high school and with an immense desire to enroll in university -- in a country where opportunities are rare, and even less when you are a woman.
As a mother of three and in a challenging financial situation, I am aware of how difficult it will be to fulfill my dreams. And yet, I am still the young woman who wants to be more than a housewife, who wants to exceed the expectations, and above all, who wants to be more than a negative statistic.
I want to study Educational Psychology because through this opportunity I will be able to apply my knowledge to help children and young people in my community. This degree will allow me to support young kids - like I once was - to further develop their skills and have more success and empowerment in school.
This career will have a very positive impact on my life because it would mean the beginning of my goal of becoming a professional, and give me the skills to make a change in my family and community through education. It would be my opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge to provide a solution for some of the behavioral problems of children and young people in schools and support students with accessible, adaptive learning strategies. Furthermore, as a mother, it would mean improving the quality of life of my family - providing us with increased economic stability and more opportunities for my daughters.
On average, a year of university studies will cost me $52, 900 pesos, which is just over $1,000 U.S. dollars. For me to complete my full degree, I will need about $4, 500 U.S dollars. Any support you are able to provide me will spread a positive impact to my children, family, and community.
Help me fulfill that dream!
Andreina
Organizer
Emma Compton
Organizer
Philadelphia, PA