Cristian studied at a small rural high school outside of Ollantaytambo. He is older than the other students, since he was forced to begin elementary school much later due to family troubles. Growing up, he suffered family challenges but through perseverance, graduated high school as a leader against all odds.

Marilyn is sweet, outgoing, and enthusiastic. She enjoys singing and dancing, and dreams of becoming an artist. She chose computer science as her career so that she can give workshops to children and youth in her district on basic science and computer knowledge, so that they can gain an "understanding of problems and propose solutions that are creative and efficient." Marilyn's family has been integral to providing her with support to attend high school and post-secondary school. Although they face difficult financial circumstances, they have been very generous to Mosqoy volunteers. When Mosqoy representatives recently visited her family in Ollantaytambo, they were provided with a home-cooked meal. Marilyn was raised in a campesino (rural indigenous) Quechua family on a farm outside Ollantaytambo, with two other siblings. Her family owns a farm alongside the Urubamba River and sells corn at the local market. Unfortunately, this means her family's farm has been impacted detrimentally by flooding from the river this year. Marilyn was one of the strongest graduates of her high school class from "Collegio Ollantay," and was the first of her family to graduate high school. Hey family has been very supportive of her education and is very proud of her decision to go to school. Marilyn's mother was unable to attend high school, and although she has found it challenging to send Marilyn to Cusco to attend classes, she is incredibly proud and excited about the opportunity. In order to attend post-secondary school, many students from rural highland communities in Peru must move to the city for the first time. In order to maintain stability and a sense of community, Mosqoy provides students with a home to stay in together in Cusco called "Casa Mosqoy." Marilyn has just moved into "Casa Mosqoy," and is settling in well to her life in Cusco. She has made a new family with her peers and is very excited about her upcoming classes.

Karina has recently switched her studies from Nursing to Business Administration with a speciality in Tourism. Although the institution through which she was studying Nursing was well-researched and reputable, it has lowered its standards recently. Karina found that she was not being provided with the resources and organization that she needed to gain the proper skill set. Karina is now happily settled into her new career path and continues to dedicate herself to her studies. In her spare time she works as a tutor and a nanny in order to help pay for her schooling. This past year she was active in her community as she participated in her community's Folklore Festival as a traditional dancer celebrating Quechuan culture.

Raul is from a traditional Quechua community, Huilloc, in the highland region of the Patakancha Valley. This valley is home to some of the most famous indigenous textiles of the region and stems from a long line of rich Incan history. It is a three-hour walk uphill from Ollantaytambo, the location of the nearest high school. Raul chose to study tourism so that he can bring more tourists to his community, to educate about how "we live, work with crafts and agriculture, and raise our animals." Through his efforts, he hopes to teach his fellow community members how to generate sustainable income, selling their products to tourists and operating sustainability tours. Because of this income, writes Raul, "they can provide education and good nutrition to their small children and be good citizens by keeping our culture and Quechua language." He also hopes to learn English, and teach English to vendors, so that weavers can better sell their crafts.

Irene has recently switched her studies from Nursing to International Business Administration. Although the institution through which she was studying Nursing was well-researched and reputable, it has declined in its standards this past year. She found that she was not being provided with the resources and organization that she needed to gain the proper skill set. Mosqoy will now be looking for funding opportunities to cover the additional costs of enrolling students in more reliable nursing programs that can be offered through universities in the future; however, in order to graduate in the near future, Irene chose to pursue another career path. She is now very happy with her decision to switch and is dedicated to her new program.

Rosmery has begun her fourth semester in Hotel and Tourism Administration which has included a variety of courses from kitchen technologies to statistics. Despite going through a personal crisis last semester, she has maintained passing grades in all of her classes. Rosmery has enthusiastically participated in the Kallpa K'oj services program, a volunteer program which encourages students to give back to their community. As part of this, Rosmery has helped with the construction of an artisan space for the weavers' association in the community of Bombon and a community library in Q'enqo. She has a number of future aspirations for the program which include developing workshops for effective residential tourism administration and cooking in the small indigenous villages in the Sacred Valley.

Carmen is one of our most dedicated students. She attends all of our events and meetings, and is eager to begin her studies. After graduating high school, she worked as a waitress in Puka Rumi, one of the best restaurants in town. Here, under the mentorship of renowned chef Alejo, she fell in love with the art of cooking and hopes to someday open her own restaurant. In her spare time, she is an athlete. Her favourite sport is volleyball, and she was the only female to compete in last year's Ollantaytambo weightlifting competition! She comes from a humble campesino (rural indigenous) family. Since her father passed away 16 years ago, she and her nine siblings have since been raised by her single mother.

Alex has become a positive role model for his peers, as he is mature and has shared his mathematical talents by providing voluntary tutoring sessions for his peers. He is committed to his community and returns every weekend to learn traditional knowledge from his father, who is the president of the community's weaving cooperative. Alex is also an artist, making bone carvings, clay sculptures, and paintings in his spare time. Alex has found a unique way to combine his artistic talent and passion for technical engineering. This year he helped his parents to remodel their adobe house by designing and creating intricate clay sculptures for the walls of his house. During his school year, Alex participated in Mosqoy's "Kallpa K'oj" program in which students are encouraged to give back to their communities through volunteer services. During his community volunteer work, Alex renovate the elementary-school library in a rural village called Q'enqo. He painted a mural for the library to make it inspiring and culturally appropriate for the young students. Combining these diverse talents, Alex hopes to pursue a career in Architectural Engineering & Design, upon graduating with his degree.

Clayda has chosen to study International Business Administration at a highly competitive technical institute. Clayda wrote, I am proud to be part of this project, which transforms the lives of young people of this generation. Clayda is the daughter of agricultural workers, and sister of four other siblings. She self-identifies as someone who is always looking to improve her lot in life, and who is enthusiastic to follow her dreams. Clayda is from a small town called Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley of Peru. This is the last living Incan town in the region where the road to Machu Pichu ends and tourists transfer to trains for the remainder of the trip.