Ruth shows a wisdom and maturity far beyond her age. At age 13, she has already planned that "after University, [she will] give community lectures to teach the importance of medical care, and to reach these goals we'll need to have the support of both the community and the government." Ruth plans on becoming a nurse, though speaks about her dreams with great humility, accrediting her motivation and success thus far to her seven siblings, writing that "[they] give her the strength to move forward and achieve her dreams." We are so glad to have gotten to know and support Ruth.

Ruben is a thoughtful, dedicated young man who is determined to serve his community and become an "agent of change". Despite coming from a "humble family", he dreams of finishing his studies and becoming an English teacher and "working in his own community so as to help those people who need support. His favorite subjects are mathematics and, appropriately enough, English. "I like studying mathematics," said Ruben in his application to the Few for Change Scholarship, "because it will help me analyze community problems and look for alternatives and solutions."

The most difficult experience of my life was when I was 7 years old and I lost vision in one of my eyes because of a cataract. It affected me a lot because I couldn't see well, I was teased a lot by my classmates, I felt inferior to everyone else; but with all the difficulty I have faced related to my studies I want to demonstrate to everyone else that even with a disability or health problem one can study and continue forward, this prepared me to view school with more interest because if I stopped my studies I won't have any opportunities for easier work. As a result I want to continue studying to become someone in life. I think that I deserve this scholarships because I am a young person ready to fight for my own well being, for the well being of my family, and for everyone else. I need this scholarships so that I can achieve my dream of becoming an educator. The characteristics that I possess include always being ready to work; I am responsible and punctual when I agree to help someone. In this way, I want to achieve my dream of helping those around me with their needs. After graduating, I want to teach other young people with health problems how to work, I want to be a motivator and start an organization that will fundraise to help students with disabilities. Above all, I want to teach in my Comarca, in the high school to the children, the knowledge that I have learned in my life from my family.

Omar struck us in his application with stories of struggle and perseverance. His motivation to continue studying, despite an incredibly long walk to school without breakfast, shines like a beacon of promise for the future. Omar has been able to maintain a high grade point average and perform as a star student despite his difficulties; a teacher noted that financial constraints and distance to school are the only things that stand in his way. Omar plans to eventually become a doctor and return to help his community, by giving lectures and bringing the best medical attention to those he loves. In the meantime, Omar loves to study natural sciences, which he says will help him to understand how humans and nature work and become a good doctor. Omar also dreams of supporting his family, and shared with us a wise bit of advice that we all could use to help us achieve our goals: "Without struggle there is no victory."

Kevin elected to write his application essay about his uncle, a person he greatly admires. Kevin impressed us with the level of reflection and detail in his writing, as he took care to describe his uncle's specific achievements (which ranged from completing college to singing) and what they meant to Kevin. After he finishes high school, Kevin plans to go to college to get a degree in Agricultural Engineering. He feels this career path will allow him to provide his village with much needed technical advice.

A first-year Few for Change scholar, Emilia stood out among this year's applicants with her passionate and well-written essay. She told us of a French female scientist that had come to her village while studying for her geology degree, and had impressed upon her the importance of environmental conservation. From this experience, Emilia developed a profound understanding of conservation and how it could benefit her community, as well as a clear direction for her career and life's work. At just 14 years old, Emilia shows maturity, personal responsibility, and drive. Her dream is to create an organization in the Comarca to educate people about the natural environment, and to utilize and protect the services it provides for future generations.

Olivia is bright young woman who is very proud of her Ngobe heritage. This pride was the theme of her application essay. "I want to fight and say that in our comarca (reservation) we can do many things if we try to reach our goals," she wrote. Olivia plans to help her community by becoming a health official and she understands that she must work very hard and focus on her studies to achieve her dream. Her teacher described her as positive, responsible, and observant, a quality which was apparent throughout her essay, but especially in her response regarding one of her favorite subjects in school. "One of my favorite subjects is informatica (technology) because it helps me to connect to the globalizing world in which we live and it will help me achieve my goal of being a health official."

Sthephany is a hard-working, upbeat young woman who just graduated first in her class from primary school. There, her teachers noted her timeliness with assignments and her willingness to help her fellow students when they were struggling with a lesson. Sthephany dreams of studying math education in university and then returning to her community to teach upper school mathematics. She credits her mother and father for doing everything in their power to help her continue her studies, and looks forward to one day supporting them.

A very difficult experience for me was: I didn't have school supplies nor a uniform when I went to school to enroll for the first time. I felt bad, but then I thought that school supplies weren't that important but that my interest in studying motivated me to continue progressing and not be defeated by the challenge. I study because I want to help my little brother and my mother when I am older. The challenges [in my life] help me to be more positive and to love studying because education is the best inheritance that our Father gave us, and it is the best opportunity that we have in life that everyone should take advantage of. When I graduate, my desire is to work as a nurse...and maintain family unity where peace and love reign. [My dream] for my community is to support them through knowledge and to offer them medical help, and for everyone else, is to teach them humility and the desire to overcome.