Deserving student becomes a world traveler!
Don protégé
I met Michelle Osorio Suárez for the first time in August 2018. She is a bright, kind, and hardworking 8th-grade student at Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Michelle's parents are from Colombia, but Michelle was born in the U.S. This is the first year Michelle has studied her first language formally.
Michelle is a scholar-athlete at our school. She plays basketball and participates in track & field, and she is part of the AVID program, whose mission is "to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society." Michelle spends time outside of school hours tutoring students in her neighborhood and helping them with their homework. Although she seems to have an interest in teaching, she plans to be a pediatrician when she grows up.
Michelle is passionate about music and dance. She often sings along with Spanish songs I play in class and can sometimes be seen dancing in her seat! She is a dancer in a volunteer troupe called Huepa Culture & Arts Institute. They perform at various times throughout the year at special events to share their love of Colombian music and dance with the community. I just learned recently that Michelle enjoys teaching younger children to dance, too.
At the beginning of each school year, I ask my students to write me a letter. In her letter to me, Michelle explained that she's had a few opportunities to travel with her family, but she really hopes to travel outside the country to somewhere she's never been before.
Michelle has that opportunity this coming summer. My colleague Javier Cid and I are taking a group of students to Spain in June. Michelle is super excited about going, but her family needs our help to get her there. Her dad is employed full-time, but her mom just lost her job when the Sears she worked at closed. Money is tight for Michelle's family right now, so my goal is to raise the funds to cover the cost of Michelle's full registration for the trip.
The cost of the trip is around $3900 (she's enrolling pretty late). I applied for a scholarship on her behalf back in the fall, and she was awarded $750. We have easy access to another $250, so we need to raise the remaining $2900.
The trip needs to be paid in full by the middle of April, so we have about 6 weeks to make this happen for her. If you can find it in your heart and wallet to donate, Michelle, her family and I would be so appreciative! If you're not able to donate, we'd love it if you would share this GFM campaign on social media.
THANK YOU for any and all support you can provide!
Sally Merryman
Spanish Teacher
Smith Middle School
9201 Seawell School Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Michelle is a scholar-athlete at our school. She plays basketball and participates in track & field, and she is part of the AVID program, whose mission is "to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society." Michelle spends time outside of school hours tutoring students in her neighborhood and helping them with their homework. Although she seems to have an interest in teaching, she plans to be a pediatrician when she grows up.
Michelle is passionate about music and dance. She often sings along with Spanish songs I play in class and can sometimes be seen dancing in her seat! She is a dancer in a volunteer troupe called Huepa Culture & Arts Institute. They perform at various times throughout the year at special events to share their love of Colombian music and dance with the community. I just learned recently that Michelle enjoys teaching younger children to dance, too.
At the beginning of each school year, I ask my students to write me a letter. In her letter to me, Michelle explained that she's had a few opportunities to travel with her family, but she really hopes to travel outside the country to somewhere she's never been before.
Michelle has that opportunity this coming summer. My colleague Javier Cid and I are taking a group of students to Spain in June. Michelle is super excited about going, but her family needs our help to get her there. Her dad is employed full-time, but her mom just lost her job when the Sears she worked at closed. Money is tight for Michelle's family right now, so my goal is to raise the funds to cover the cost of Michelle's full registration for the trip.
The cost of the trip is around $3900 (she's enrolling pretty late). I applied for a scholarship on her behalf back in the fall, and she was awarded $750. We have easy access to another $250, so we need to raise the remaining $2900.
The trip needs to be paid in full by the middle of April, so we have about 6 weeks to make this happen for her. If you can find it in your heart and wallet to donate, Michelle, her family and I would be so appreciative! If you're not able to donate, we'd love it if you would share this GFM campaign on social media.
THANK YOU for any and all support you can provide!
Sally Merryman
Spanish Teacher
Smith Middle School
9201 Seawell School Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Organisateur
Sally Merryman
Organisateur
Chapel Hill, NC