From Kristin Lietz of CDC and Casa Isabel
This month we had three of our students from Casa Isabel graduate from a level of school. Xochitl has the distinction of being the only member of her family, in any generation, to complete high school.
Xochitl is the youngest of five sisters. Her father left the family when she was 5 years old and her mother has been the sole supporter of the family. Xochitl’s mother told each of her daughters that she could only support them through middle school (9th grade) and no more. Xochitl has a dream to study university but at the time her older sisters were not in a position to support her through high school. So Xochitl applied to the Casa Isabel program. After three years at Casa Isabel she graduated from high school. Her sisters are now in a better financial situation and are excited about helping her to attend college. She returned to her home town of Tuxtla Guttierez in Chiapas because there are far more varied fields of study available at public colleges as it is a large city. She hopes to enroll next year in a Psychology program. She will be missed at Casa Isabel this next year.