Christian lives with his mother and sister high in the mountains on the outskirts of Quito. His mother has arthritis in her hands and has difficulty working, so both Christian and his sister help out as much as they can at home. Until recently, the family lived in a house without a bathroom and with a leaking roof and poorly fitting doors and windows. This meant that Christian was often ill and had difficulty going to school and studying. Help from the local community, other family members and the Condor Trust has enabled them to make substantial improvements. This has greatly helped Christian, who is now much healthier and doing well at school. He is interested in most subjects, and is also keen on doing voluntary work organized by the school. When he graduates from high school, he would like to spend a year volunteering in different parts of Ecuador.

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.

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."