Meet one of our students - Eulalia

Eulalia Esmeralda Domingo Sebastián First Year - Básico (middle school)

Fittingly for her name, Eulalia lives in the village of Tzikina Chiquito in the county of Santa Eulalia. The predominant Mayan dialect spoken in her little town is Q’anjob’al. While Spanish is the national language of Guatemala, many Indigenous Maya students struggle in the public primary schools due to lack of tutors, teachers and mentors who can help them transition from their native dialects to Spanish.

Fortunately, Eulalia benefitted from Adopt-a-Village’s Bilingual Early Literacy program, learned Spanish, and was accepted as a student for secondary education at Maya Jaguar Private Technical Institute upon graduating from government-provided primary school.

She lives with her parents, one grandparent, and her brothers and sisters. This is her first experience living away from home, and she is grateful for one of her sisters who has given her wise advice over the years. Eulalia aspires to become a teacher and most appreciates the qualities of “respect” and “responsibility”. During her days on campus, she enjoys her classes, playing soccer, and studying with her classmates. When she returns home, she helps with chores and enjoys tending the family’s hen and pigs.