Every morning, I wake up and look outside my back porch at the lush, green mountains as the mist begins to lift and a new day begins. It is the paradise that you find on the “Wish you were here” postcards. As I walk to work, I am greeted by women who are washing clothes and by impeccably uniformed children as they head to school.

I came to New Hope seeking work experience in an international development organization and hoping to contribute something to help the community. While I have gained invaluable insight about nonprofit organizations, development and Guatemala, I have also gained lifelong lessons about community, generosity and appreciation of family, friends and life. I have learned the importance of mutual exchange rather than the imposition of beliefs and practices.

At New Hope, I work in the Becas (scholarship) program with adolescents who receive scholarships to continue their studies after 6th grade, with the ultimate goal of having these individuals graduate from the equivalent of high school in the U.S. The large majority of my time is spent mentoring and tutoring these scholarship students, and it gives me the opportunity to work with motivated, enthusiastic, passionate and energetic young adults.  I work with incredible people who, through various activities, strive to build and instill leadership, critical thinking, organizational and problem-solving skills among the students. They, as well as the students, motivate each other to continue to challenge themselves and the world around them.

My work here is not about “fixing” the problems that I once perceived to be as such, but about reciprocating the generosity, warm embraces and kind words that have been offered to me. It is about working together to bring out the best in each other and supporting each other through our mistakes, differences and successes.  It is about recognizing the humanity and dignity of individuals rather than objectifying them as being “people in need.”  It is about demonstrating to every person that he or she is equally important, regardless of race, class or socioeconomic status. It is about recognizing each individual as a human being, just as they have done with me.

"If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time.  But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." – Lilla Watson

Carolina works in the Becas program as well as with a group that is developing a child sexual abuse prevention and awareness program. She is applying to Graduate schools to get her Master's Degree in Development Management and Policy and hopes to start school in the fall and continue to work with international aid organizations.

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