For many of us, going to school is simply part of growing up. We wake up, get ready, grab our backpacks, and head to class without giving much thought to whether we will have the opportunity to continue our education.
But for many families in Guatemala, going to school is not something that can be taken for granted.
For Reina Tucubal, a 12-year-old girl from Magdalena, Guatemala, continuing her education once seemed uncertain.
Reina attends Gorrion School, where she has worked hard to pursue her education despite the challenges her family faces. Her mother never finished elementary school and is unable to read or write. Without experiencing the opportunities that education can provide, she had little reason to believe that continuing school would make a meaningful difference in her daughter’s future.
And when a family is struggling financially, the opportunity for a child to leave school and begin working can seem like the most practical choice.
For Reina, however, that wasn’t the future she wanted.
A Girl Who Loves to Learn
This past November, Reina graduated from sixth grade—the first person in her family to reach this milestone.
And she isn’t ready to stop.
Reina loves to study and dreams of continuing her education. But without support, pursuing the next step would have been difficult.
That’s where Students International’s sponsorship program stepped in.
Through the program, Reina has been given the opportunity to continue attending school. The SI team also spent time talking with her mother about the importance of education and the opportunities it can provide for Reina’s future.
Her mother agreed to support her daughter’s continued education.
For Reina, that conversation changed what was possible.
She can keep learning. She can keep dreaming. And she can begin imagining a future that looks different from the one her family has known.
Investing in More Than Education
Stories like Reina’s are helping build momentum within Students International’s child sponsorship program.
The program isn’t simply about helping children attend school. It seeks to care for the whole child by helping meet educational, medical, and spiritual needs within their communities.
That means investing in children today while helping create opportunities for their futures.
For Reina, education represents something bigger than a diploma. It represents possibility.
She is the first in her family to graduate from sixth grade. With continued support, she has the opportunity to keep going—and perhaps one day become a model of what education can make possible for the next generation of her family.
A Future Worth Investing In
Reina’s story reminds us that sometimes a child simply needs someone to believe that their future is worth investing in.
A sponsorship can help provide school supplies, educational expenses, and other practical needs. But it can also communicate something much deeper:
You matter. Your education matters. Your future matters.
Through Education Sponsorship in Guatemala, Students International is helping children like Reina pursue opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.
And as Reina continues her education, we pray that she will not only grow in knowledge but also in confidence, faith, and hope for the future God has planned for her.
As 3 John 1:2 says, “Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.”
We are grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside Reina and her family as she takes this next step—and excited to see where her education and her faith will take her.
