Sponsor and student have an emotional meeting

Ryan and Keyla get to know each other

“I want to sponsor a student all the way through college,” said Ryan on the phone. He and his friends had visited BajaEd a few days before and showed interest in sponsoring students. He called us to confirm that he was willing to sponsor a student. He asked us to find a high school student with the desire to attend college. “I commit myself to cover every school expense, as long as the student wants to stay in school,” expressed Ryan.

We started to look for a student. In Maneadero, people usually quit school after elementary, or perhaps middle school, to start working to provide for their families. Attending high school is a dream, meaning a large number of students quit due to lack of money and support. Attending college is not even an option. The few students who make it to college rarely graduate. Groups in our state colleges start their college education with 40 students. In the best-case scenario, half of them will graduate. The other half will quit at any point. The longer a student stays in school, the lonelier it gets. Every semester, students and teachers asked the same question: who quit this time? We were looking for a high school student in need of a scholarship to stay in school. We were looking for a dreamer willing to seize what seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We were looking for someone who may have to quit school, but did not want to.

We met Keyla while interviewing students. She is a sixteen-year-old who dreams of becoming a forensic medic. Her story was beyond compelling. After overcoming several obstacles, she made her way through high school. She chose a school that will provide her a major in nursing. She is having a tough time with her schedule. She wakes up early in the morning to get ready for her nursing internship at a downtown hospital. After her internship, she rides a bus to school, where she takes the afternoon sessions. Classes finish around 8 p.m. Keyla’s father usually drives her back home. At home, Keyla does her homework and goes to bed to rest from a hardworking day, knowing that the next will be equally hard. We had found the student we were looking for. Now, it was up to Ryan.

The days passed, and after sorting through messages and emails about the standards and procedures with Ryan, we welcomed Keyla into our program. Since then, she has not worried about her school expenses, knowing that Ryan is looking after her. Still, something was missing: they did not know each other.

“I will be in Mexico next month, and I wonder if I could meet Keyla,” Ryan said in a message. “I will be glad to meet Ryan,” replied Keila. We love when our sponsors and students get to meet, and we make the arrangements necessary for them to meet in person. On a cold Saturday morning before Christmas, sponsor and student finally met. The emotion was palpable in both of them. There were hugs and words, even if they did not speak the same language. Ryan expressed his commitment to support Keyla once again. Since Christmas was around the corner, Ryan suggested that Keyla ask him for a present. “You can ask whatever you want,” said Ryan. Keyla is a volleyball player, so she asked for a pair of sneakers to play the sport. Ryan said he would take care of it. They both said goodbye, but promised to stay in touch to schedule a future meeting. They were both grateful for each other. It was the beginning of a beautiful experience for two human beings. We are glad to help create these memories. Thank you, Ryan, for supporting Keyla.