About

Itayoshara's home community of Ollantaytambo has influenced her academic interests and has given her a strong basis to become a young leader. Ollantaytambo is one of the main villages at the start of the Inca Trail. The considerable amount of tourists who visit this village on their way to Machu Pichu has inspired Itayoshara to pursue a career that will enable her to interact with the influx of visitors and to share her culture with them. At the market in Ollantaytambo, Itayoshara's Mother works as fruit seller. She is also very involved in Mosqoy having helped to found the Mosqoy Parents Board of Directors and having just been elected as Vice President of the Board. The goal of the Parents Board is to coordinate fundraising, hold meetings and interact with municipalities to ask for resources. The board also organizes the potlucks and feasts for the community. Itayoshara has a very similar personality to her Mother as she is very outgoing and social. Itayoshara was the scholarship recipient of her graduating class at Colegio Ollantay; this competitive award has earned her a rare place at the National University of San Antonio Abad in Cusco, where she will be studying for the next five years. However, without our help to support her housing and study materials, Itayoshara would not have been able to accept her scholarship, since life in the city of Cusco is too costly for her family.