Most of these families were quite poor, and really did not have the means to afford the school’s tuition. But with the possibility of a sponsorship opportunity, a number of neighborhood kids took the entrance exams, hoping that their public school education would have prepared them to enter and begin learning at a whole new level. Junior Rodriguez was one of these students. In 2006, Junior was about to enter 7th grade. His sister, Francis was also about to enter the 7th grade. They both took the test, but while Francis passed the entrance exam, Junior did not. Junior remembers that when he heard this news, he cried, having hoped that he would have this opportunity to learn English and get a better education. He also remembers what came next: If he worked really hard, they would give him the chance to prove himself.
In November of 2010, Junior graduated from NCA Nejapa as the Valedictorian of his class. He is currently studying Engineering at a local university. His English is very impressive; NCA Nejapa students have English class for one hour a day, but Junior studied hard and practiced whenever he had the opportunity, and he now speaks with hardly any accent. In fact, just a few weeks ago he had his first translating job with a Canadian work team, and he hopes to continue doing this, both for practice and to develop relationships.
Junior continues to visit us, play with the boys, and help us out around the house and the yard. He attends his university classes during the week and studies English on Saturdays. It is very likely that without the sponsorship program (in which many of you are involved!) and his very diligent hard work, Junior would not be where he is today. We hope that this one story can give you a picture of the lives being impacted by Nicaragua Christian Academy, thanks to your support!
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