Mexico
– July 10 2019
Making a difference through education
Guadalupe, 20, shifted from not wanting to study at all to studying two bachelor’s degrees simultaneously. Today, she is committed to raising awareness of the importance of education in her community.
Lupita, as she is known, grew up in the Mazahua community in Atlacomulco, north-west Mexico – the biggest indigenous group in Mexico State. She recalls regularly missing school constantly, often due to a lack of teachers.
“I remember feeling that I and the rest of the children who lived in indigenous communities did not have the same right to receive education as children who live in large cities,” she says.
Lupita joined the SOS Children’s Village Mexico City with her three siblings when she was 11 years old. When she finished high school, she decided she wanted to find a job and help her brother Sergio with his organic co-op selling eggs to the community. Sergio found his passion with this small project and entered university to study agricultural engineering. This served as an inspiration for Lupita to follow her dreams.
Today, she lives with her brother in the city, while SOS Children’s Villages Mexico supports her studies and living expenditures. She spends six days of the week at the National Pedagogical University, studying for a bachelor’s degree in Indigenous Education. On Saturdays, Lupita studies Preschool Education at the same institution. When she is not taking classes, she can be found studying in the library.
With such a tight schedule, determination is key. In a year and a half, she will obtain both degrees but this will only be the beginning. Lupita is determined to support communities like her own and to raise awareness among indigenous families on the importance of education. She wants to set an example.
During her free time, she keeps herself busy. Lupita likes to exercise and read. She also carries out workshops with the indigenous population to learn more about their educational needs, which inspires her to continue studying.
“When I decided to study two bachelor degrees at the same time, everyone told me to think it over because it would be too challenging, and it is. I have to work really hard but this what I want, I want indigenous girls like me to have a quality education,” said Lupita.