SJBS, My Home
Every time I visit San Jeronimo Bilingual School (SJBS—the first BECA school in Honduras), everything comes back to me. Memories are a powerful thing and they hit me when I get to SJBS’s gate and Don Ramon at the door greets me “Welcome back, Kervin!” SJBS is not like any other school—far from it! SJBS is the school that believed in me even when I hardly believed in myself. SJBS is the place that did not give me classmates, but brothers and sisters for life; this school is the kind of school that you do not receive classes from teachers, but from your friends and guardians. From the very first that I entered SJBS and BECA I knew it was a true blessing from above for not just my family, but for the entire community. It was through BECA’s volunteers and SJBS that I gained the opportunity to dream and to believe in myself again.
I come from a very rural town and from a poor family. Bilingual education is something that only wealthy families can afford—because private/bilingual education in Honduras is much better than the public schools, the rich stay rich, and the poor, poor. How can I forget the day that I learned about BECA and about SJBS! How can I forget when my mother with tears in her cheeks told Ms. Jaime (BECA’s founder) that she wanted to have my sister and me at SJBS, but that she could not afford it! And how can I forget when Ms. Jaime, also crying, looked at her and told her, “Olguita, Kervin and Greysi are getting scholarships to study at our school.” Ms. Jaime gave me a fair shot at life. Ms. Jaime broke the cycle and gave the poor a better chance. Because of people like Ms. Jaime, BECA is a magical place.
SJBS is the place where I learned English, Math, and Science, but it is also the place where I met my friends, my family. This is the school where it does not matter if you are a house keeper, door guard, student, or teacher, because your title does not matter when we all love and respect one another. SJBS is a place where people feel safe, and where low-income families are given a chance to fight for their goals in life. It is because all these reasons that I chose to stay connected with BECA. I believe and love what BECA does in my country. This is the main reason why I decided to intern with the organization this summer. Helping out with several projects during the summer camp at the school was a phenomenal and satisfying experience. Interning with BECA was my way to give back to the organization, but also my way to express my gratitude to all the American volunteers. Working for BECA also brought all those powerful memories back—not only was I allowed to see all my friends again and meet the volunteers for the next school year, but I was able to spend a great time with the current students. Coming back to BECA this summer, I was able to see the future of the program in each of these students. Getting involved with BECA and staying connected, helping the organization grow, is a way to keep the legacy going. Helping with projects and the students this summer made me feel as if I was giving to all the current students a similar chance to dream, to make memories, and to make a home at BECA—the same opportunities that I was given a many years ago.
