It was a big trip to Nicaragua this year – we had three graduations to celebrate! Odalys graduated from 6th grade and enters high school next year. And Elizabeth and Sua graduated from high school! Elizabeth hopes to continue on next year in the university, either for architecture or biomedical analysis. And Sua is going to take a year off to take an English class and to work on getting her seizure medication correct before she enters the university. She wants to study medicine.

After the graduations, we held a big celebration party for all the girls, including graduates Karina and Michel (you’re always a family member of ONE!). Unfortunately, Christa managed to get some illness so she couldn’t be there, but Meghan managed just fine! Both old and new graduates gave advice to the four girls who will graduate in 2021, and we especially loved Karina’s advice: get used to reading because you will have to do a lot of it in the university!

In addition to some other presents, each graduate received a copy of I am Malala in Spanish. We find that book to be so inspiring and important to remind our girls why education is critical to their lives, and to the lives of their community. Karina has read hers until it is almost shredded, so we hope that Sua and Elizabeth will enjoy their copies as much!

All the girls’ pages have been updated with photos and information, so please go to individual pages for more photos and videos. But for now, here’s a gallery of some photos and a video of the graduation parade heading for the church for the morning mass. Elizabeth is fourth in line behind the flags, and Sua and her father come in around 1:35. You can tell them, though, because they’re the most beautiful young women in line! Please click on the photos in the gallery and they will come up full size for you to enjoy.

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  Gathering at the school for the parade to the church

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  Entering the church

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  Receiving her diploma

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  Proud sixth grade graduate

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  Proudly showing off her graduation portrait

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  The parade to mass

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  Sua across the table at the end of the year party

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  Proud parents on the way back to the school

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  Getting ready for graduation!

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  Meghan the Graduate

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  Beautiful soon-to-be graduate!

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  She did it!

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  Receiving her diploma

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  Our lovely graduates

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  Proud tias!

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  Graduation cake

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  Tatiana is second from the left in this photo of almost all the girls and board member Meghan Haslam

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  Our three graduates!

Thank you so much for your support of these girls. They are so grateful, as are we. They constantly tell us that without this help, they couldn’t even imagine the dreams they have now for their futures. Our first graduate, Karina, told us during this visit that we helped open up a world she never knew existed, of books and studies and travel and learning. You all helped make that possible. We hope you have the happiest of holidays and that next year is healthy and joyful for all of you.

Birgit, Christa, Heather, Janeece, Leslie, and Meghan