The short version...

me with some of my estudiantes, 1997

Donating to this fundraiser helps support five high school students from a small, rural community in Costa Rica, in their educational pursuits. None of them would be able to afford to attend school without our help. See below for more information on this (now 28-year old!) scholarship program supporting the town where I taught English - half a lifetime ago!

the escuela (grades 1 through 6), 1997

Actually... before I get to the long version, I need to share a letter I got from one of my former students this week. Eduardo (prominently featured in "the long version" which follows) is now serving as the program administrator in Costa Rica. His words (which had me in tears reading them tonight) are below:

My name is Eduardo Ávila Calvo, and I’m originally from Laguna de Fraijanes, a small corner of Alajuela, Costa Rica. Today, at 36 years old, I work as a Senior Manager at Western Union, overseeing regulatory licenses for the United States, Canada, and India. But beyond my professional career, I have the privilege of helping lead a nonprofit foundation in my hometown, affectionately named “Laguna de Esperanza.” This is my story.

It’s a story of perseverance, gratitude, and the transformative power of one person’s kindness. Because thanks to the unwavering support of Diana, I was able to overcome obstacles and become the professional—and the person—I am today.

I was born and raised in Laguna de Fraijanes, a humble town of hardworking people, where most families relied on cattle ranching or agriculture. Though the community was warm and united, economic hardship was a constant reality. The town lies along the road to the Poás Volcano, surrounded by natural beauty but lacking educational resources.

There were no kindergartens in the area, so I never attended one. However, by the age of six, I already knew how to read and write, which allowed me to start school a year earlier than usual.

In 1996, I entered second grade at Escuela de la Laguna, a small school with fewer than 60 students. In 1997, when I was nine years old and in third grade, the school still didn’t offer English classes. Its remote location and limited bus access made it difficult to fill the position for an English teacher.

But that same year, something extraordinary happened.

Thanks to a US-based nonprofit program called WorldTeach, an English teacher from the United States arrived at our school. Her name was Diana. Learning with her was a joyful and enriching experience. She taught us English through games, songs, and interactive activities that made learning feel like play. She also introduced us to American culture—something completely new to us. For many children, including me, her arrival was a blessing.

I especially remember one of her classes with great affection. Diana was much taller than any of us, and to teach us the names of clothing in English, she had us wear her clothes and do a relay race. We ran across the classroom in oversized coats, shoes, hats, shirts, and pants that we had to hold up while we ran, laughing as we learned. Those words stayed with us forever, etched in memory through joy.

Diana lived in Costa Rica for a year, dedicating herself to helping the students of La Laguna. For her, this was an opportunity to teach us skills she knew would be essential for our future.

What moved her most was seeing how many talented students had to drop out of school, and how others couldn’t continue to high school after finishing primary education because they needed to work and support their families.

When she returned to her country, Diana dreamed of creating a scholarship program to help those children continue their education. With the support of her family and friends, she turned that dream into reality. In 1998, she began supporting at least five students with annual scholarships, covering essential expenses like school supplies (notebooks, books, pencils, backpacks, etc.) and uniforms (shoes, sneakers, shirts, pants, jackets, and more).

My family—my father, a farmer; my mother, a homemaker; and my four sisters—was going through difficult times. That support was life-changing. Thanks to the scholarship, I was able to complete high school. And because of my academic performance, Diana continued supporting me through much of my university education.

Today, many years later, I still feel a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity I received. And now, I have the privilege of working alongside Diana to continue fulfilling the dream she once had: that more children and young people can access education, regardless of their financial situation.

Through the Laguna de Esperanza scholarship program, Diana continues this work. She finds generous sponsors to donate to the program each year, while I find and select deserving, hard-working students who would otherwise not be able to attend high school. I’ve committed myself to walk beside her in this mission—sharing my story, contributing my experience, and giving back to the community that shaped us both.

Because if there’s one thing Diana taught me, it’s that one person can spark a flame—but when that flame is shared, it can light the path for generations. Today, more than ever, I’m determined to carry that light forward with her, multiplying her legacy and helping build the future she dreamed of… a future we now make possible together.

And now (wiping away my tears), here is the rest of the story by my account...

In 1997, I spent a year volunteering in La Laguna, Costa Rica, teaching English in a very small, rural, elementary school. Toward the end of the year, I started an after-school program for some of my top students, which allowed me to get to know them and their families a bit more. The 8 or 10 students and I would meet after school and try to move beyond the “today is Tuesday,” “it is sunny” sort of English I was teaching during regular classes. If I recall correctly, we only met a handful of times, and I don’t remember it being all that effective in terms of improving their English. (I do remember bringing the kids a partial pizza as a treat one day, eating half of it myself on the hour-long bus ride from town, and paying for my gluttony with a serious case of Montezuma’s/Pizza Hut’s revenge…) In any case, one good thing definitely came from it.

Talking with the after-school club kids, I decided I wanted to create a scholarship program, to encourage them and their classmates to continue with their education and attend high school. In Costa Rica, grade school is 1st through 6th, and high school is 7th through 11th. At the time, hardly any students were even finishing 6th grade, let alone thinking about high school. (The 6th grade class in 1997 was six students, only two of whom were considering “secundario.”) When I inquired about why this was, I learned that even though tuition was free, the cost of materials and uniforms (along with the missed income of not going right to work in the fern farms or some other form of employment) was enough to make it prohibitive for many families.

Karla and Tatiana, who received our first two "becas" (along with some gringa rocking a fabulous outfit and haircut)

That first year, we sponsored the two interested 6th graders, and the program grew each year, peaking at ten and then settling in with four to six students per year attending high school using a “beca” (scholarship) from U.S. donors. After the first few years, we got better at selection and monitoring of attendance and performance, when my former host mom got involved and began helping out in-country. Three years into the program, one of our students was Eduardo, supported by my Uncle Bill and Aunt Judy. Eduardo was at that point a recent graduate of 6th grade and had been the youngest member of the after-school club, a 9-year-old 3rd grader when I’d been his “ticher.” (The students called their other instructors “maestro” or “maestra,” and they called me “teacher,” which they spelled with an i to match the Spanish pronunciation of the long e sound.)

Eduardo is the little dude in the middle

We happily sponsored him through high school, and five years later, he graduated and expressed his interest in going on to university. (I don’t have the numbers, but I can assure you it is extremely rare for any kids who attend La Laguna public school to go on to college!) We were thrilled to continue supporting him and did so all the way through his graduation from university.

the high school grad, clase de 2005

In 2009, while Eduardo was nearing the end of his college days, I was able to return to Costa Rica for a visit. I found myself in a pretty surreal moment, sitting at a bar in the town where I’d bused to get pizzas 12 years prior, clinking my bottle of cerveza against Eduardo’s. Eduardo, who I could still vividly remember as the sweet, shy, little third grader, who barely came up to my waist.

He insisted I stay with him, in the house that he was renting with his sister, and he proudly showed me the school where he was taking his classes. He was attending school while also working 50 hours every week at a call center, using his now-excellent English! We later sat and drank a few beers together and talked about politics and religion and the history of Costa Rica. (All in English; my Spanish was sadly never solid enough for that kind of conversing. Heck, my English is barely good enough for that kind of conversing…)

cervezas con Eduardo, 2009

He told me about what his life could have been, about classmates who were working in the fern farms or coffee plantations, and others who already had babies of their own. Eduardo, in contrast, had recently broken up with his girlfriend because she wanted to get married, and he wasn’t ready for that. He wanted to finish school first. He wanted to get a good, stable job. He wanted to make sure he could provide a better life for his kids, before he started a family. And then, to my incredulous surprise, Eduardo told me that I was the first person to plant that seed, the first person who made him believe in himself, and believe that he could do more with his life. (Topping even my sports triumphs, Tetris records, and watermelon-eating-contest wins, this remains perhaps the proudest moment of my life.)

About five years later, Eduardo reached out and asked if he could help us out with the becas. He had gotten a good job at Western Union and wanted to share his story with our students. He agreed to help my host-mom and be an ambassador for the program. Then in 2021, he took over the program administrator role completely. He has continued to move up the ranks with Western Union, he got married a few years ago, and in a completely wild, serendipitous twist, he has had a couple of work trips to Denver! While he was here a couple years ago, he took me out to Snooze for desayuno! (No gallo pinto, but otherwise rico!) He continues to tell me how much of a difference we have made in his life and how honored he is to be able to give back.

desayuno in Denver! (April 2023)

Along with Eduardo, we provided assistance another student who was interested in pursuing a college degree. Anely González was sponsored by us throughout high school and just finished her nursing degree. She wrote a letter before her freshman year (see below, in both Spanish and English) expressing her gratitude and explaining why she was seeking further assistance.

For 2025 and 2026, we have five high school students we are assisting. (The fundraising goal would cover two years' worth of costs.) The current students are Emerlinda Lopez Garcia, who is in 10th grade, Seilyn Munoz Solera (9th), and a trio of 8th graders, Santiago Solis Ramirez, Maryelis Lopez Toledo, and Lisbeth Lopez Garcia (8th). I just got photos of them from Eduardo, which I'll post to Facebook and Instagram.

Please note that because this isn’t set up as a formal charity, donations are not tax-deductible. (But the warm fuzzies definitely are!)

If you can help – at any level – please do!

Con gratitud!

Diana

one more pic from 1997 - my (apparently giant) brother, sister-in-law, and me (still rocking amazing hair and outfits - that thing is one-piece jumper...) along with some of the very excited estudiantes who got to meet my family when they visited after the schoolyear ended

(See below for the letter, in Spanish and then in English, from Anely.)

Letter from Anely Gonzalez

Alajuela, Costa Rica 14 de abril del 2022

Por medio de la presente, les saluda Anely González estudiante de bachillerato en enfermería. Espero que todos se encuentren muy bien.

Primero me gustaría agradecerles a todas las personas que me han ayudado con la beca durante mis 5 años en el colegio, el dinero recibido fue de gran ayuda para sustentar gastos de uniformes, libros. Etc. Me siento agradecida por el apoyo que me han dado y eso me motiva a no dejar de estudiar y a seguir luchando por mis sueños.

Quiero seguir estudiando, primero, para ayudar a mis padres y también porque desde que tengo uso de razón mi sueño ha sido en convertirme en una enfermera para poner mi conocimiento al servicio de mis semejantes. Y así mismo, tener un mejor futuro para tener una mejor condición de vida, ya que en el país si uno no tiene estudios es muy difícil colocarse en un buen puesto de trabajo y de igual manera las condiciones para tener una mejor calidad de vida disminuyen. Sin estudio, las condiciones de vida serían precarias. Para seguir con mis estudios y en caso de recibir su ayuda, sería una gran oportunidad la cual no la dejaría pasar y daría todo de mí para siempre tener las mismas notas que obtuve en el colegio y remunerar de cierta manera el esfuerzo que todos ustedes hacen en enviar la ayuda a nosotros.

En caso de no recibir ayuda con la beca, trabajaría (actualmente estoy trabajando, sin embargo, el salario que recibo es de 120mil colones quincenal) llevaría una o dos materias por cuatrimestre, depende de cuanto dinero pueda ahorrar para matricular, pero la idea siempre es seguir estudiando así sea una sola materia por cuatrimestre, no quiero quedarme sin estudiar por cuatro meses y retrasarme mucho con la carrera.

Yo desearía sacar mi carrera en menos tiempo, pero, debido a mi condición económica se me dificulta poder hacerlo.

Les agradezco de antemano por toda la ayuda brindada y que Dios los bendiga grandemente.

Anely

English Translation of Anely’s letter

Alajuela, Costa Rica April 14, 2022

Through this letter, Anely González, a current nursing student, greets you. I hope you all are doing well.

First I would like to thank all the people who have helped me with the scholarship during my 5 years in high school, the money received was of great help to support the cost of uniforms, shoes, books, and other materials. I feel grateful for the support you have given me, which motivates me not to stop studying and to continue fighting for my dreams.

I want to continue studying, first, to help my parents and also because ever since I can remember, my dream has been to become a nurse, to put my knowledge in the service of my peers. And also, to have a better future, to have a better quality of life, since in the country if you don't have enough education, it is very difficult to get a good job, and in the same way, the conditions to have a better quality of life decrease. Without education, the living conditions can be very difficult. I would really appreciate all your help, and if possible I will take this great opportunity and I will not let it pass by. I will give my all to continue getting the same grades or better than the ones I obtained in high school, that way I promise I will in some way return all the effort that all of you make in sending help to us.

If I don't receive any support for my college, my plan is that I would continue working. (I recently started working, the salary I receive is $400 monthly.) I would take one or two subjects per semester, depending on how much money I can save to enroll, but the idea is to continue studying, even if it is only one subject per semester. I do not want to go without studying for four months and fall far behind in my degree.

I would like to get my degree in less time, but due to my economic condition, it is difficult for me to do so.

I thank you in advance for all the help provided and may God bless you greatly.

Anely