What do you do to grow as a professional and person?
I like to read every day, keeping up with technology. I study, I help out those in around, and be happy.
What is the best of Xela?
It's the culture that has richness, kindness of people, mountains, landscape and fun, but especially the surrounding villages nearby with their unique spirit from each village.
What would you do if you have only one more week of life?
I live my life every day as if it's the last one. I enjoy it. I like serving people, sharing sadness, to laugh and be happy.
What were you doing 15 years ago?
I was studying.
What will you be doing in 15 years down the road?
I will be enjoying time with my family, at my home with my daughters and enjoying thier success.
Who is/was the most influential person in your life?
My parents, because although they were faced with economic and educational limitations, they pushed hard and helped me get ahead in this Guatemalan society.
What is the Guatemala's biggest social issue?
It's illiteracy. It's sad to see some people that should've known our history, not all of it, but at least some parts that teaches us not to commit the same errors of past. Also it's sad to see that they cannot discover the treasure you can find in books. This is caused by selfish people who are trying to use others as a cheap labor in sweatshop. The ignorance that poor people suffer is coming from this selfishness and making a vicious cycle of poverty and corruption as public officials think only about making themselves richer and richer without thinking about anyone else.
What do you propose to solve the Guatemala's problems?
More education. Social security. Honesty. Moral principles. In my personal opinion, I think the base of any country is education. This way, new generation will consider more about others by being more conscientious and treating each other like brothers, discussing the problems on a table, not by forcing people to die in meaningless wars. And I wonder working for or dying for whom? And if you win the war, does it worth it after so many deaths? I speak for more integrated education because although we have had many presidents with post-graduate degree, selfishness is still prevalent.
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Name: Leticia
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Education: Concentration in bilingual secretary and humanities. 5th semester in journalism and degree in social communication.
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Message to a student: If you wish to learn Spanish, I would love to help you learn as your friend. Together we'll have an unfogettable time in my Mayan land.
What do you do to grow as a professional and person?
I love to read and be informed, and write reports. Be with people, be a leader and make those in around me feel good about themselves.
What would you do if you have only one more week of life?
I would do what I do every day, as I live every day as if it's my last day and share my daily life, and nothing more.
What is the best of Xela?
Everything... My city has a special charm. It has a soul of place like nowhere else. It has culture, sports, recreations, its own music, its own dance, customs and traditions of past.
What were you doing 15 years ago?
I was studying as a student. I had lots of dreams, dreams that I have achieved and there are more to achieve...
What will you be doing in 15 years down the road?
I will be enjoying my time with my family. I will live my triumphs and failures and I believe they will be steps toward a successful person.
Who is/was the most influential person in your life?
They are two people: my daughters.
What is the Guatemala's biggest social issue?
In Guatemala, there are many problems: education, health, economy, lack of land, mental health, violence, discrimination against women, lack of opportunities, unemployment. But for me, the biggest problem is the education. It is so frustrating for me to see how we don't value education, an integrated education. It's too bad that we don't have social conscience and teachers from primary, secondary and even including post-secondary levels give so little to students, almost all in theory and nothing more. Practice is what's missing. We leave out character formation, which is the most important thing, and we don't make students feel good about themselves and because of it, they fail in schools and from there comes unemployment and discrimination because we don't know who we are nor value what we have.
What do you propose to solve the Guatemala's problems?
There are lots of non-governmental organizations that are doing what they can to erradicate social problems. I belive they should all unite. And each one of us should be more aware of social conscience, education and character building. In Guatemala, the teachers should have callings, charisma. There are no bad students. There are only less disciplined teachers. The parents of family have very important roles in raising kids as school alone cannot do it. But there is a golden rule of raising kids: love.