Nayelhi is seen here, at her desk, with all the “regalitos” she received from kids at the end of the 2020 school year. She graduated from the Pathway Program in 2014 and is now loving her job as a 5th Grade teacher assistant at the Nicaragua Christian Academy (NCA). NCA is an internationally recognized private American Christian school, in Managua, where speaking English is required.
I have a lot of memories from when I was a kid about the special classes we had at P2P at the end of the summer. I always learned something new, like cooking or carpentry or art or playing sports, but cooking was the one I loved most. I remember the delicious cookies we used to bake (the carrot cookies were my favourite). Now that I am an adult, I would like to take some baking classes, so I can bake some yummy cookies for my future children.
Something that inspired me to be a teacher is the need I see in my country to have better professionals, people who really care about the future, and want to make things better every day.
It has been 8 years and I still remember every little detail about my trip to Canada. I remember how hard I worked, so my speech could be perfect and understandable. I remember I had a sore throat two days before my speech because I was super nervous. I remember how sweet every person was with me. Actually, I still have some of the presents I got from some of them, and they remind me how happy and blessed I was during that trip.
Being part of the NCA community has been one of the most beautiful blessings God has given to me. I like that I feel loved and valuable there. I like how we all work together and try our best to teach the students how important they are for God, for society, and for us. I like that they care about children who need special support to learn.
Learning English as a second language has helped me a lot. I can’t imagine my life without this great opportunity P2P gave me. English has opened many doors. I would not have the job I have today and the opportunity to know so many people from other countries if I couldn’t speak English.
During the pandemic I was afraid that many people could get fired (including me), but I insist, if we have God, we have everything. During the quarantine everybody had to stay at home, even the gardeners, the cleaning ladies, and we all were still paid even though we could not go in person.
If I could give advice to my 10-year-old self, it would be “never give up”. I think it is really important to be diligent in all you do. Even if things are hard to get, never give up hope.
