The Pilot 3 Surprise

At the beginning of Pilot #3, I think it is fair to say that Walter and I experienced our routine preocupaciones. We wanted to market well and get the word out. We wanted people to show and express interest. And we wanted people to apply.

Well...apply they did, to the tune of over 150 applications. 150 applications equals a 300% increase. And a 300% increase equals an overwhelmed (but thrilled) BECA Team.

As it turns out, our effort to target graduating high school students, with relatively fewer options and ideas about their futures, was successful on several levels. First, it shows that our program has a real market, those who cannot afford higher education but still want to study. Second, it shows that a gringo (me) with mediocre español, a lousy accent, and streams of sweat pelting down his face was capable of communicating a message to at least some students in the loudest and busiest public high schools in Masaya. As humiliating as it can be to deliver a three-minute spiel to high school students (two weeks away from graduating), I know now that some of them were actually listening.

All of that said, we have spent the past week riding around town, snapping pictures, and talking to our prospective students. I say "prospective" because the success of our program depends on you, our readers, our audience, our donors, and our friends. Below are some snapshots of the candidates, in front of their homes, that you may see in the next few weeks. Be sure to keep your wallets handy.