My Journey

I come from a small city called San Marcos. It is located in Nicaragua, the land of lakes and volcanoes. Like the rest of cities in the country, my hometown heavily experienced the repercussion of the civil war during the 1970s. I was not even born yet. But my mother, grandmother, and my extended family along with her thousands of people went through rough times filled with fear, hunger, and uncertainty. Gladly, it did not last for a lifetime. I cannot say that we are finally at peace, but we certainly can enjoy a cup of coffee freely and slowly. My family and community consist of hardworking people with strong ideals. Despite their constant struggle with socio-economic hardships, they are determined and joyful. My mother is one of my greatest sources of inspiration. Along with my grandmother, these two women warriors raised a family even during the most difficult times aforementioned.

The challenges of women have only extended in the last decades. We can drive, attend school, do man’s work, among other things. Yet, sexual and reproductive health knowledge and resources are exceedingly inadequate. I cannot begin to express my concern with the fact that girls are getting pregnant at a much younger age than our ancestors. I consider it surreal that sex education is still not a fundamental element of academic curricula. Therefore, I feel the urgency to expand the work of organizations aimed at helping women succeed and avoid being hindered by negative consequences of lack of knowledge in areas like sexual and reproductive health, mental and physical health, and violence. In my country, there are many organizations that work on these issues extensively such as Lo que debe ser penoso, UNFPA, USAID, Federación Red Nicasalud, PAHO, Profamilia, InterAmerican Bank, CEPRESI, Plan Internacional. However, in my local community, there is still a lot to do. As of now, I am doing research and formulating a community project to decrease early pregnancy rates and increase sexual and reproductive health awareness and assistance. In order to create change, I would like to strengthen my technological capabilities in the use of digital formats. This will allow me to position my voice and proposals to create digital sustainability. Effective communication skills are fundamental indicators of success in the promotion of social and community projects. The better the communication means used and the effectiveness of the messenger, the greater the impact in the creation of awareness.

My support goes for adolescents, the future of the world. Their potential should not be blurred by the adversities in which they are born or nurtured. When I think of improving the collective well-being and women’s lives, I also think of improving men’s. If we want to reach a mutual understanding of the genders and the avoidance of bigotry, then we should include men when trying to change the world. That is why, in my support system, men like my dad and my friends are included.

Besides my support system, I need to acquire intangible abilities and knowledge so I can turn them into tangible results and continue successfully. I need capital, computer resources, human resources, and anything that can turn me into the means for women's growth. For instance, acquiring digital tools and knowledge can help me reach a wider audience with whom to share my community's projects, thus finding more assets and supporters to the cause. Along the way, I have obtained intangible tools such as a second language, the key to formulate a social and community project, extensive background in Psychology and some business, and personal experiences. Acquiring all of these elements have only made me more thirsty for making changes in the world.