Milsa is 17-years-old. She lives with her parents and 3 siblings in small town of Santa Catarina Palopo, in Guatemala. Neither of her parents had the opportunity to attend school. Both of them are extremely supportive and invested in their children’s education. Her father works as a day laborer, and her mother, Milsa, and her two younger siblings make and sell greeting cards to help support the family.
Last January, with the help of Starfish, Milsa enrolled at the Panajachel Colegio Internacional - a private, bilingual, secondary school. She is a Freshman this year and, after only 8 months of intensive English classes, has been able to start taking her core classes in English. Her English teacher, John, says, “Milsa's confidence and patience help her succeed. Although she doesn't always understand at first, she is very receptive to help, and does a good job of retaining knowledge. Milsa understands a lot more than she can express, but has recently begun chiming in with short comments during class discussions.” An education like the one Milsa is receiving at PCI opens up a whole world of possibilities. She will be able to study whatever, and wherever, she wants after graduating. She will have opportunity to pursue the profession, and future, of her choice.
Milsa is a playful, extroverted young woman. Her dream is to open her own travel agency and introduce people from all over the world to Guatemala’s Lake Atitlan, and to the Mayan Culture.
Profile
Updates
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24 OCT 2015
October 2015 Update
Thank you to everyone who helped support Milsas scholarship to attend Panajachel Colegio Internacional! Milsa, 17, and just entered her sophomore year of high school. She is the first person in her family to attend high school and the first person in her community to attend an international school on a full ride scholarship. Milsa loves learning new languages and spent the summer in an intensive English course through her school. After graduating from high school in June of 2018, Milsa hopes to attend university and work in the tourism industry. Milsas younger sister, Maria, also loves to speak English and hopes to continue studying, just like her sister. Here is a video of Maria singing a song in Kakchiquel, her indigenous language! https://www.facebook.com/starfishonebyone/videos/vb.298980430510/10155808916020511/?type=2&theater [img]/images/user/14439_7047535293105902434.png[/img] [img]/images/user/14439_15276466638600881828.png[/img] Milsa, representing Panajachel Colegio Inte... -
01 MAR 2015
An Update from Milsa!
Below is an update for Milsa, a student we are sponsoring through [url=https://www.givology.org/~sobone/]Starfish[/url]. Starfish is our partner who works in Guatemala to empower women to make changes in their community. We are very proud of the accomplishments Milsa has achieved! "As Milsa Savjin Ajpus finished up her sixth grade year she had a life changing decision to make. At 14 years old, Milsa had to choose between continuing her education and working at her mother, Magdelena's "huipil" weaving shop. The reality? Milsa's family did not have the economic resources to support further schooling. Her father had developed a drinking problem and struggled to find consistent work; the little money he did generate went towards feeding his five children and financing her older brother's art degree. While Milsa's brother had hope of securing a decent salary someday, her chances--as an impoverished, rural, indigenous girl--of actually earning a university d...
Donors
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Givology Staff Givology HQ, USA
- $105109 Pledged
- $101625 Total Donated
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Givology Hong Kong Hong Kong
- $2355 Pledged
- $2355 Total Donated