Las Entrevistas (Interviews): Isis and Yesenia

Join us for another brief segment of las entrevistas (interviews) with our Starfish students! 

Today, two of our Starfish scholars from Guasmo, Isis and Yesenia, share some of their pensamientos (thoughts) about their motivation and inspiration for their educations. 

Stay tuned for more entrevistas with our scholars, coming next week, in addition to a blog post created entirely by our very own educadores as a part of their technology workshop! During this workshop, our Guasmo educadores learned about technology in the workplace, and practiced skills such as professional emailing, and creating blogs and powerpoint presentations All of these skills will provide our educatdores with valuable resources for their own careers and studies, as well as enable them to better develop the skills of our scholars. 

Isis Matias, 14 years old.

What motivates you to excel in your education?

-"My main motivation to excel comes from my parents, because each day, I see the daily sacrifices they make to provide me with an education so that I can better myself and truly become someone in this life." 

What is one thing about your country that you wish to change?

-"I hope that one day, society changes to create a greater level of respect. In this way, I wish that people can develop a different way of thinking." 

 Yesenia Guallo, 14 years old.

Tell us about a professor or educator that has helped you to discover your academic strengths.

-“One day, my professor Mercedes told me that there are always, and will always be, difficulties in live and that a setback is not synonomous with a defeat. Mercedes believes that I can overcome struggles, and she helps me achieve my goals. I’m grateful for this advice, for it has helped me realize that if I fail, it doesn’t mean I am defeated.” 

What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone younger than you?

-"One piece of advice that I would give would be to set goals, and to achieve them, for this is the best thing to have done. However, only set goals that benefit yourself and those around you."

En español: 

Isis Matias, 14 años. 

Que te motiva para sobresalir en tu educación?

-"Mi mayor motivación son mis padres porque veo como se han sacrificado en la vida para darme educación y que yo me supere y sea alguien en la vida."

Cual es una cosa de tu país que te gustaría cambiar?

-"Que esta sociedad cambie se forma de ser respecto a cómo tratar a las personas solo por tener una manera diferente de pensar."

Yesenia Guallo, 14 años. 

Cuéntanos sobre un profesor o educador que te ha ayudado a reconocer tus fortalezas académicas?

-"Mi profesora Mercedes un día me dijo que siempre hay dificultades en la vida y que por tropiezos no significa la derrota y que piense en superarme y que cumpla mi objetivo. Y gracias a este consejo me ayudo a darme cuenta que si fallo no significa la derrota."

Cual es el consejo que tu le darías a una persona menor que tú?

-"El consejo que le daría seria que se proponga un objetivo, lo cumpla y será lo mejor que haya hecho, pero siempre que lo que se proponga sea para bien de él y de los demás."

October Update from Flor

Our educadores in Flor highlight the recent events of the past month at Starfish. October has been packed with activities for our students! In the past few weeks, there has been a short vacation from school, in which the Flor Starfish educadores hosted a flea market to generate funds for Starfish. Also in the past month, our students have participated in several workshops, including a Sexuality and Gender Equality workshop, whose aims are to bring awareness, knowledge, and confidence to our students!

Words from our educadores: 

We began vacation time with a flea market that for us, was very successful! Many people came and bought large amounts of clothing, and other items as well. There was such a high demand for items that we sold out, and people had to wait for a second batch of items to come in. This in and of itself was very rewarding, as this was the first time that we had organized this type of event and, prior to executing our plans, we were worried that perhaps people wouldn’t be interested. Our fears weren’t realized, as all went well and many more people attended than we had anticipated!


The rest of our vacation time was very relaxing and chévere (cool, fun), and we were able to spend time with the children in different groups. The variety of activities brought us and the students a lot of enjoyment. For a few days, we were able to leave behind the monotony of everyday work activies and the daily routine, such as homework and other work-related activites, and instead focus on fun and friendships. Furthermore, we were able to see how the group team-building activities and workshops strengthened our bonds, both in and out of the classroom. The group activities included contests and other games, and we witnessed the students working together. More importantly, these activities were, in reality, a way to teach the students cooperation in the group setting. In these activities, the students share ideas and knowledge, and by doing so, they realize that they learn and achieve much more together than they do separately. Witnessing the students' infectious, enthusiastic energy brings us joy as educators, and being a part of this environment enables us to realize that each moment with our students in unique and special in its own way.

Successful flea market shopping^

Our community enjoys the flea market during their vacation time.

Members of Starfish and the Flor community wait in line to check out the flea market!

Our students work together during the Gender Equality and Sexuality workshops.

En español:

Iniciamos Los vacacionales con un mercado de pulgas en el cual nos fue muy bien ya que muchas personas llegaron y llevaron prendas en gran cantidad al igual que los diferentes artículos, que incluso esperaron a la segunda ronda, para continuar con la compra, esto fue muy gratificante ya que era la primera vez que hacíamos este tipo de eventos y tal vez no habrían muchas personas interesadas, pero no, tuvo buena acogida que incluso llegaron más personas que las que se había planeado.


El resto de los días fueron muy chéveres ya que pudimos compartir con todos los chicos de los distintos grupos y los cuales se alegraron de verse nuevamente; en las diferentes actividades que realizamos nos permitieron divertirnos más, dejando por unos días la monotonía de los deberes y dar cavidad a la diversión y el compañerismo, pudimos ver como el trabajo grupal en los concursos y en los talleres se veía fortalecer, eso nos entusiasma mucho ya que ellos demuestran que pueden lograr muchas cosas tan solo con proponérselo y eso hacía que ellos puedan lograr ganar, además que podíamos intercambiar conocimientos y adquirir nuevos, pero de maneras didácticas, ser parte de ese entusiasmo hacia que el momento se tornara diferente, que cada uno sea especial y ameno.

Students take pride in their country!

Starfish students Arianna Sosoranga and Milena Mora share their personal thoughts as to why they are proud to call Ecuador their home.  

What is something about your country that you are very proud of?

Ariana Sosoranga, 14 years old: “ I feel proud of all of the things that my country possesses, for example: it has an abundance of nature, especially in the west. I love this, I love the climate, and furthermore, my country has beautiful beaches and a variety of specialty dishes unique to different regions. But the best thing of all is that the people [of my country] are happy, hospitable, and very cool—this is beautiful because tourists and visitors leave Ecuador with a good impression of us.”

Milena Mora, 15 years old: “I feel proud that now, education is equal and some people aren’t more than others, and that education now values the people who before were not permitted or weren’t able to study. Now, there are more capable teachers to give classes and realize that their talents [can be used for] different career opportunities in the country. I hope that [education] can continue to improve with time.”

¿Cuál es una cosa de tu país de que estás muy orgulloso?

Ariana Sosoranga 14 Años.- Me siento orgullosa de todas las cosas que posee mi país, por ejemplo tiene abundante naturaleza sobre todo en el oriente, y yo amo eso, me gusta el clima, además tiene hermosas playas y una variedad de platos típicos en cada región, pero lo mejor de todo es que las personas son muy alegres, hospitalarias, y súper chéveres y  esto es  muy bonito porque los turistas se llevan una buena impresión de nosotros.

  Milena Mora 15 Años.-  Me siento orgullosa de que ahora la educación es igualitaria y no unos más que otros, que se valora mucho más a las personas discapacitadas ya que antes ellos no les permitían ni siquiera poder estudiar ahora hay más docentes capacitados para dar las clases además que se reconocen sus talentos para las diferentes oportunidades laborales del país y espero pueda seguir mejorando con el tiempo.

Words from Karen, our new psychologist!

Karen Quimiz Rodríguez, the new psychologist for Starfish, shares her plans and thoughts about how to build confidence, encourage personal development, and provide a support system for our students.

Psychological Attention at the Starfish Foundation

Contributing to the Development of My Country

By analyzing the psychological aspects of the scholarship students of Starfish Foundation, one is able to diagnose various types of psychological phenomena, which often stem from: behavioral conflicts, conflicts stemming from certain family dynamics, a lack of self-esteem, and problems rooted in biology and physiology. During the time when the children's personalities develop, they are especially susceptible to risky behavior, such as the consumption of legal and illegal substances, and early behaviors concerning their sexuality, behaviors that, without a doubt, influence their personal and educational development.

"There is nothing more important than the education of the child and of the youth, since our whole life depends on this" -- Juan Martin Moye

The family, as the first link to society and the place where children develop their first values, plays a crucial role in the psychological attention given to the scholarship students. The systematic structure of the family, including the roles, structures, hierarchies, and limits of the family, often has deficiencies. A therapeutic approach to the family dynamic is certainly a way to improve life within the home.

With regards to improving individual and familial health and happiness, another crucial area (of students' lives) to focus on is that of sexuality. We are beginning to give informative workshops on this topic and we hope they can hopefully break the societal structures of "machismo" in the Ecuadorian society, where deep-rooted machismo still plays a role in the daily lives of communities. The objective of the first workshop is: to change misconceptions about the differences in gender roles in the adolescents of the Starfish Foundation in order to promote greater gender equality.

The objective of the second workshop is: to demystify the adolescents' preconceived ideas about sexuality in order to eliminate the myths that have arisen throughout history and their own personal lives. This workshop intends to inform the youth about the preventative campaigns that the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health provides, as well as reinforce the idea that sexual activity should be loving and reproductive. This workshop will also inform about methods of contraception, and will be aimed at a specific population of Starfish students. It will convey that reproductive sexuality is a normal process, and will use science to inform the students, rather than the students obtaining false information and rumors from their friends.

To further promote the development of the students through the teaching-learning process, we have created a third workshop about vocational interests with experts from different professions, including: 2 architects, a lawyer, a graphic designer, and internal members of the foundation who possess a university degree. The idea for this workshop arises from the students' misconceptions of many professions and lack of knowledge about other professions (other than the military and police). The aim of this workshop is to guide students' plans for their futures, and there will be a career test that will provide more career options for those students who do not aspire to one of the careers presented on this day.

It's a great pleasure to work with these students and promote their present and future development.

Karen Quimiz Rodríguez

General Psychologist

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Versión en Español:

Atención Psicológica en la Fundación Estrellita del Mar

Contribuyendo al Desarrollo de Mi País.

Al trabajar en los aspectos psicológicos con los estudiantes becados de la fundación, se puede diagnosticar diversos tipos de fenómenos como son los de tipo comportamental, conflictos en la dinámica familiar, conflicto en la esfera socioemocional (autoestima), problemas de origen biológico; Y en el contexto donde se desarrolla su personalidad, son vulnerables a las conductas de riesgo, como son el consumo de sustancia psicotrópicas legales e ilegales, comportamientos precoces sobre su sexualidad amorosa y reproductiva, que sin duda alguna influyen en su desarrollo personal y educativo. 

“No hay nada más importante que la educación de la niñez y de la juventud, puesto que de ella depende toda nuestra vida” Juan Martin Moye

La familia como célula principal de vinculación a la sociedad y de donde se desarrollan los primeros valores, juega un rol importante en la atención psicológica a los becados, se aborda desde un enfoque sistémico, la estructura familiar, funciones, roles, jerarquías, límites, etc. siendo este último de gran deficiencia dentro de la dinámica familiar, sin duda alguna se da la veracidad y el abordaje terapéutico para mejorar la convivencia en el hogar.

Otros de los trabajos que están próximos a realizarse dentro de las competencias es promover talleres sobre sexualidad, su génesis consistirá en romper los esquemas culturales machistas de la sociedad ecuatoriana que aún están vigentes dentro del contexto; El primer taller tiene como OBJETIVO: MODIFICAR CONCEPCIONES ERRADAS SOBRE LA DIFERENCIA DE LOS GÉNEROS EN LOS Y LAS ADOLESCENTES DE LA FUNDACIÓN ESTRELLITA DEL MAR PARA FAVORECER LA EQUIDAD.

El segundo taller tiene como OBJETIVO: DESMITIFICAR A LOS ADOLESCENTES LAS IDEAS PRE CONCEBIDAS SOBRE SU SEXUALIDAD PARA ELIMINAR LOS MITOS QUE HAN SURGUIDO A LO LARGO DE LA HISTORIA Y DE SU VIDA, este taller pretende informar a los jóvenes sobre las campañas preventivas que maneja el Ministerio de Salud Pública del Ecuador, y reestructuras las ideas que mantienen sobre una sexualidad amorosa y reproductiva, además de informar sobre los métodos anticonceptivos, este segundo taller estará dirigido a una población especifica de los becados, que precisamente se encuentran en todo el apogeo por informarse de su sexualidad reproductiva como proceso normativos de la edad, así considero importante que obtengan información por fuentes científicas, y no de inexpertos, (amigos que se encuentran en el mismo proceso generacional).

Además favoreciendo el desarrollo de los jóvenes becados en su proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, se ha desarrollado un taller sobre sus intereses vocacionales, con expertos invitados de diferentes profesiones, contamos con la colaboración de: dos arquitectos, un abogado, una licenciada en diseño gráfico, y con la experiencia de miembros internos de la fundación que cuentan con un título universitario, esta idea surge a raíz de una concepción errada sobre sus deseos y aspiraciones profesionales, sus ideas se limitan a querer ser, policías, militares, marinos, vigilantes de tránsito vial, para encaminar sus propósitos futuros se ha elaborado el taller y que conozcan otras profesiones a las que pueden aspirar, allí mismo se aplicará un test para aquellos jóvenes que no se identifiquen con alguna.

Es un gran placer contribuir con estos jóvenes hacia su presente y su futuro.

Karen Quimiz Rodríguez
Psicóloga Generalista

A reflection on love, prayer, gratitude, and education: Cierra Tus Ojos

A big thank you to Xiomara Muñoz, our guest blogger this week. Xiomara is currently a sophomore at Boston College studying Biology and Faith, Peace, and Justice, and here she shares her thoughts about education in its many forms: academic and spiritual.

I remember the days well, as if they passed only yesterday. 

            Countless mornings throughout the school year, my mom drove my sisters and I to and from school. We lived about half an hour from our beloved elementary and high school, Koinonia Academy. For each of those thirty minutes during our drive, my mom was our teacher. One of the first things she taught us, aside from the importance of seat-belt safety, was prayer. The instant we buckled in and the car put into drive, we started reciting our prayers. Imbedded in our memories after hearing them hundreds of times, inadvertently we would say the prayers usually half meaningfully. Our minds drifted as we looked out the window towards the stores we passed along the way. Passing the Chuck E Cheese always made me think of their delicious pizza, interactive games, and the last time I had been there, all while reciting the “Angel of God” prayer. My thoughts and daydreams to return to the glory that is Chuck E Cheese shattered when my mom noticed my inattentiveness through the rear view mirror. “Xiomara, cierra tus ojos.” (“Xiomara, close your eyes.”)

          “But mom,” I pleaded, “I can pray with my eyes open, it keeps me aware of my surroundings”. My mom didn’t buy that. Reluctantly, I closed my eyes and for the next 27 minutes with an occasional peep to see how much longer until we arrived at school. My 2nd grade self couldn’t wait till we got there. We would sing worship songs, pray a few decades of the rosary, and my mom, my two sisters and myself would then say our own personal prayer aloud. When the last line of prayer was said “Divino Nino Jesus, bendicenos”. I knew to open my eyes, and by this point, we were usually a block away from school, and it was almost always 8:28, with school starting at 8:30. We thanked our mom for driving us, grabbed our backpacks from the back seat, and would run out of the car, grateful to see, with our eyes squinting adjusting to the harsh bright sun. We knew most of the drive home later that afternoon would be spent in prayer as well. But we were used to this routine, and our main focus upon leaving the car was to get to class before the bell rang.

          I remember these moments with much joy. I laugh as I think of the way my sister and I would open one eye during prayer time just to make sure that the other had her eyes closed. If we found ourselves both peeping, we would immediately tell our Mom, who would say that we needed to keep our eyes closed. A Colombian, with a devotion to the Divine Child Jesus, my mom wanted to teach us our prayers, and the importance of developing a personal and lived out relationship with God. My mom taught these life lessons not only through the different recitations of prayers, but in her actions.

          For the next couple of years, until my eldest sister began teaching at our school, and assumed the role of driver, my mom would drive us every morning and pick us up every afternoon. Totaling two hours in the car (with almost an hour spent in prayer with us), my mom wanted to instill her love for God in us, and despite the trouble it was to keep our eyes closed, I am so grateful for my mom’s love in driving and praying with us. We ran from the car each morning truly educated and immersed in our mother’s language of love. I don’t even think we realized it. We had a full day of learning ahead of us, but those morning love lessons are what I hold most dear.

          Through driving us without ever once complaining, my mom showed us what love in action is. Likewise, my dad worked most of the day to pay for our education at KA. Their love, in action, is so beautiful to witness and to experience. Their commitment to our education was and continues to be so prevalent through my life, and my sisters’ as well.

          There were sacrifices involved in my sister’s and my education, but in my parent’s love for us, they saw the worth in it. I would not be where I am today without their love and their instilling in us the value of learning, education, and prayer. I am beyond grateful for these life lessons that have stuck with me for all these years. To this day, even a mental prayer is necessary the moment after buckling in the car. To take time and give thanks for God’s gifts in my life, I think of my mom saying, “Xiomara, cierra tus ojos”.