Edgardo

Edgardo is an intrepid medical student at San Carlos University in Guatemala City. He attended Mayatan as long as he could, up until 9th grade, after which he went to Seran in San Pedro Sula.

Edgardo's fascination with medicine was sparked by his stints translating for medical brigades when he was a young Mayatan student. Before then, he'd always been squeamish about blood, but he witnessed a minor surgery--the removal of a benign tumor from a shoulder--and he was no longer afraid. He liked the fact that he was helping people doing this work, and he wanted to do more.

When he visited us recently, Edgardo was a third year medical student. He wants to be a surgeon, though he is not yet sure which type of surgeon he'd like to be.

In addition to being exposed to surgery while he was here, Edgardo feels he received a great foundation. Even though Mayatn was relatively new when Edgardo started out, it was an easy academic and linguistic transfer from Mayatan to Seran.

He tells us that many people in Copan and Santa Rita are proud of the school because they see that its graduates are finding success. Edgardo has two younger sisters here, one who just finished 1st grade and another who just finished 11th grade, which makes her part of our pioneering high school class.

Ideally, Edgardo would return to the area to practice medicine, though there are some certification barriers between Honduras and Guatemala. Nonetheless, the shortage of doctors in Honduras means that there's lots of opportunity.

Edgardo has a special message for sponsors, though he himself didn't receive a scholarship. "Mayatan is a great institution. It is really preparing us to face life. It gives a great education, and though it is still growing, it's one of the best schools in Western Honduras, with great students." And as for younger students, he says, "This is a great opportunity. Be proud."