Hermelinda’s parents dreamed of a better life for their eight children. Like all families in Chajul, they faced horrific challenges during Guatemala’s civil war. Juan, her father, only has a primary school education. After his parents were killed when he was young, he was left orphaned, taken by the army and forced to work tirelessly for them until he escaped. He is now a farmer. The war’s trauma widely persists among LHI families even now. 

Hermelinda’s mother, Ana, never attended school. She weaves and takes care of the home and their children in a small house with a dirt floor and a wood cooking stove. Ana and Juan always had to weigh the cost-benefit of sending their children to school. Could they afford it? For how long? It was impossible to have all of their children in formal schooling. Hermelinda and her parents dreamed that she could be the first in their family to finish high school. 

That dream began to take shape when Hermelinda joined Colegio Horizontes’ first 7th grade class, a school run by Together Women Rise grantee Limitless Horizons. 

When Hermelinda found out that the school was opening, she couldn’t wait to apply. She was thrilled to join the first Expanding Horizons prep classes, but it was soon discovered that she had remarkably low levels of reading comprehension, writing, and speaking skills, a consequence of nearly two years of the pandemic keeping her out of the classroom. 

Since starting at Colegio Horizontes, Hermelinda’s motivation and desire to succeed now shine through. Teachers note that while she was shy and behind when she began, her strong interest in learning motivates her to persevere and master course content even when the material is challenging. Hermelinda says that, in addition to math and language skills, one of the best lessons she is learning is how to create action plans to achieve her goals. Despite her humble upbringing, Hermelinda is not afraid to dream big. She wants to be a doctor, but prior to completing medical school, she dreams of singing professionally. She could also see herself opening a business in Chajul, using what she is learning in entrepreneurship class to bring resources to her community.