BECA's First Employee

Antonio Rodriguez is the new Coordinator for BECA here in Nicaragua.

He worked for one of our partner schools for a while and the fellow impressed me.

We'll see how it goes. I'm a little anxious about the whole thing, but ultimately BECA belongs in the hands of Nicaraguans, doesn't it?

You can read a little bio here.

Another Sponsor Visit

Seneyda meet Aggie. Aggie meet Seneyda.



Aggie is the sponsor; Seneyda, the student.

Aggie was born in Nicaragua but now calls California her home. Annually, she comes to Nicaragua to visit family and friends, and early this year decided to sponsor after reading an article about BECA in La Prensa (Nicaragua daily newspaper).

Aggie wanted to make sure that BECA was real.

I'm really hoping that Aggie will go home and spread the word a bit because I think the BECA program is a nice fit for Nicaraguan expatriates who want to give back a little bit to their homeland.

Thanks a lot for making time for Seneyda, Aggie. I know you made her day.

BECA Party

BECA had a party on the weekend.

I'm really not crazy about putting on parties like this, but I thought it would be a worthwhile "investment" for several reasons.

First, it was an opportunity for the students from different classes to meet each other.

Second, 50 students were graduating from Course One. Chance to give them their certificates.

Third, and most important, we could give executive director Brian Alvo a nice goodbye after 17 months of dedication.

In the end, about 130 students showed up (out of 210) as well as representatives from four schools. Unfortunately, the guest of honor came very late due to some travel screw-ups.

It doesn't matter. Things went pretty well.

You can see more pictures here.

Tribute Video to Brian Alvo

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million . . .

However, even a million wouldn't be enough to say thanks to the "Gringo" for everything he has done for BECA.

Brian_Se_Va