When Sr. Damon founded the Unidad Académica
Campesina-Carmen Pampa in 1993, she said that the key to lifting people out of
poverty was to give them options for their future.
Rosy and Isabel Apaza Catari, two sisters who
study Education and Nursing at the College, agree.
“At the UAC-CP, it’s our decision—what our future is going to be like,” says Isabel.
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| Sisters Isabel (left) and Rosy Apaza Catari. |
For Rosy, a 4th year Education student,
and Isabel, a 1st year Nursing student, the ability to choose their
life’s path is a blessing. Since their father passed away several years ago,
their mother has sacrificed a great deal to send the two young women to school and
give them these options.
“Our mother always tells us, ‘Don’t be like
me.’’’ Rosy says. “She works hard, in sun and rain, so that we can support
ourselves with our minds rather than working in the fields.”
In addition to providing an affordable choice
for higher education, studying at the UAC-CP allows the sisters to be close to
their family. They come from Coripata, a neighboring town in the Nor Yungas
region, and often return home on the weekends to work with their mother.
“Her desire for us to get ahead is what
motivates me to learn,” says Rosy. Isabel adds, “She often calls us to make
sure we’re studying!”
As the first and second in their immediate
family to attend college, Rosy and Isabel understand the importance of
studying, graduating, and becoming professionals. While they have different
interests—and live on different campuses (the College is made up of two campuses--one upper and one lower)—they share a common goal:
to use their education to help people.
Rosy believes her schooling experience
has been a privilege and wants to inspire young people in the region to know
that they too have options for their futures. “Education is my passion,” says Rosy. “I want to
make children laugh and learn to be creative. I want to teach them that they
can do anything.”
Isabel’s desire to study medicine started at a
young age. When family members got sick or hurt working in the fields, she
didn’t like the feeling that there was nothing she could do to improve their
situation. “I wanted to be able to help my family and the people around me get
better,” she says. “In the Nursing major, we learn how to help people who need
it most.”
Both women appreciate the theoretical and
practical balance of their majors; it's a feature that attracts many students to the
College. For Rosy, that means taking what she learns in her classes to other
classrooms in the area, working with children to ensure equal access to quality
education in the Yungas. Isabel loves being able to learn from doctors in
hospitals across the region in month-long practicums each semester.
Outside of class, the sisters are active in
campus life. “There are so many opportunities we can take advantage of here,”
says Isabel. “We go to Mass, we sing karaoke at English Club, we participate in
Mujeres Valientes...there is always something happening on campus.”
Mujeres Valientes, a women’s empowerment group
that meets regularly to discuss themes like self-esteem, friendship, navigating
stress, and leadership skills, has played a major role in Rosy and Isabel’s
educational experiences. In addition to eating snacks and
dancing Zumba, the gatherings inspire the women to continue fostering the qualities they’ve seen
in their strong, independent mother.
“Mujeres Valientes gives us a place where we can
be leaders and speak our minds,” says Rosy. “We understand each other as
women.”
Isabel agrees. “I’ve learned to have more
confidence in myself,” she says. “And we lift each other up as women, helping
each other to be more confident as well.”
The College’s emphasis on the holistic formation
of each student—academically, spiritually, socially, and emotionally—encourages
students to empower themselves, to take their education back to their communities
and improve their lives. Rosy says, “The most important thing I’ve learned at
the UAC-CP is that I can do it. I am capable of achieving my goals, and I can do
anything.”
“I know I am being formed as an individual
here,” says Isabel. “I get to learn from people who are already professionals.”
At the same time, studying and living together
with students from across Bolivia reinforces their passion to work towards the
common good and the well being of all. “The UAC-CP teaches us to dedicate our life
to others, to do our work with enthusiasm and not complain,” says Isabel. Rosy
adds, “We want to go where people need help the most.”
After graduating, both women would like to
enroll in a master’s program—for Rosy, in higher education, and for Isabel, in
clinical psychology. Above all, however, they want to work to lift their mother
and the rest of their family out of poverty.
“I want to see my mother’s face when I
graduate,” Rosy says. “I do it for her.”
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