Verónica Estefanía, one of my favorite students, is dropping out of eighth grade. She stopped by the school this week to finish her paperwork and to say good-bye. She shared with me her family situation (which was different from the news I had previously heard from her classmates, so I apologize for the inaccuracy of the previous post).
She told me that her father and older brother immigrated to Houston illegally four years ago, and recently he has sent home smaller remittances (the greatest source Guatemalan GDP, even more than tourism). Rumors are that he has a drinking problem, but who knows why he sends home less money? For years Verónica’s family has depended on an unreliable source of income and spent money thinking that the money would always come. Now they are short on funds, and Verónica has to drop out to work full-time sewing indigenous dress for Q65 a week (US$8) to support her mother and four younger siblings.
Verónica is the smartest, hardest-working student that I teach. When I assigned the students to research two professions, most students did not even bother to do the assignment. But Verónica investigated three careers. She is the first person to raise her hand in class, whereas most of the other girls are too shy to ever participate. She is full of questions, and we had great conversations last year about life in the US and the difficult consequences of illegal immigration.
I am so, so disappointed that she is dropping out. My site is losing a future leader and one of its few shining stars. I encouraged her to read the newspaper and attend English classes at the library, and she says that she will return to school next year. But typically here, when a student drops out, she is out for good.
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