Friday, March 28, 2008

In the News: Graduating with HOPE

Posted on behalf of Priscila O'Shee

Thanks to being awarded a HOPE Scholarship during 2007, more than 90 sponsored youth were able to finish vocational courses taken during the summer. Auto mechanics, cuisine techniques, customer service and English, electrical installation and Web design were the courses offered.

“I took the web design course since I am studying the specialty of design at my technical high school, but this course was much better; I learned to use new programs my school would have never taught me because it has much fewer resources”, said Priscilla Rojas, one of the graduates.

Taking these courses offers our sponsored youth more possibilities of getting a job after graduating from high school, and it also gives them guidance regarding what they would like to do in the future since it gets them interested in a specific field.





Priscila O'Shee is the Communications Coordinator for Children International's agency in Valparaíso, Chile.

1 comment:

Rae said...

Priscila,
Several high schools in the United States also have Web Design programs that enable students to get employment right after graduation. One in particular, middlecreekhs.wcpss.net/career.htm, I had heard about on an AM radio station in the North Carolina area is very interesting because it ties its program to an entrepreneurial program, www.entre-ed.org/_entre/index.htm . It states not only the need for entrepreneurs, but gives a “how-to” guide of starting your own business. The CI poll was right, “education” is the key to self-sufficiency and pride in accomplishment.
This information may even be of help to my one Ecuadorian sponsored child, to getting ahead in life.