From Honduras to Greece: A Journey of Pride, Perseverance, and New Perspectives
October 29, 2024Reflections from Denise Vargas, Executive Director
Any student that travels abroad is likely to experience an expansion. Somehow, the world becomes bigger, not smaller, the more we see of it, especially at an early age. For our students, this opportunity meant so much more to them, to their families, to the students, and to our community.
I’m happy to report that our two members of the First Global team, Angie and Henry, as well as the rest of the Honduras team, returned home safely after the trip to Greece, but they didn’t return as they left. They are still processing the experience, new sights, new culture, new people, but their vision of their own selves and their lives seems to have shifted for them, according to comments from the staff. I spoke with Ana Maria Cardona, founder of Spark Steam in a Box and leader of the group, and she shared that the trip was thrilling and arduous from every perspective. She reports that Angie and Henry brought their best selves forward and must have learned so much. We are all proud of their work but what matters is how proud they must feel of themselves and their dedication. Through this experience, Angie and Henry now know what it feels like to hold their country’s flag and represent it in foreign ground, and to hold the goals of a team above their own and face challenges together under pressure. They know more than ever that possibilities are endless, for all our students. And I myself learned that I am part of a powerful, devoted, international community that rises to the occasion for the sake of our students. I witnessed Claudia Castro, El Hogar’s Director of Academic and Residential Programs, and so many other staff members go out of their way to support this project. I saw the other students of the Honduras team and their families join in. I watched our supporters in North America give a little extra and share their excitement from afar.
Perhaps we may all be reminded that it’s a big, small world and we are all as beautifully different as we are the same.
