Success Stories Carlos
Carlos' story also appears in the November 2007 Mayatan Bilingual School Newsletter
Carlos is the oldest of five sons. Whilst in Primary School he received a scholarship from Mayatan Foundation that covered half his tuition costs. Without this help Carlos would not have been able to attend Mayatan Bilingual School and receive a bilingual education. This opportunity, combined with his academic ability, strength of character, hard work and supportive family has recently enabled Carlos to find employment within the extremely competitive airline industry. Incredibly, receiving job offers first from COPA and then Maersk and American Airlines.
After graduating from ninth grade, Carlos moved alone at the age of fifteen to the industrial city of San Pedro Sula where he attended High School for two years. His calm and friendly personality plus his ability to speak English pleased interviewers at COPA airlines - who despite his young age, offered him a great opportunity; to work as a representative of COPA Airlines at their the front desk at San Pedro Sula’s International Airport. Greeting passengers, checking passports, processing tickets and coordinating flight plans with the captain, Carlos’s spoken English skills and diplomacy are put to the test every day. His proudest moment so far was being thanked personally by the Dominican Republic’s Head of Security for solving a travel problem encountered by the Ambassador and the President’s wife(!)
Having accepted a job and training from COPA airlines, Carlos has decided to continue with this company for the time being, although he has since been offered future employment with both Maersk and American Airlines. Carlos progressed to the final four in a series of math and logistics exams set by Maersk, The youngest of 75 applicants all aged over thirty he impressed the managers so much that they have promised to reconsider him for a job at any later stage. Carlos’s plans are to progress into management at COPA and then consider offers made by Maersk and American Airlines who have both now expressed an interest in him for the future. If this were not enough, in February, Carlos will start attending University after work, where he will study Civil Engineering. His airline work should enable him to pay his own fees and he has friends from whom he can borrow books.
What dedication and what a wonderful story! We wish Carlos the very best of luck with all his future plans - we, like his family, are extremely proud of him and hope his success encourages other students and perhaps new sponsors who may be considering supporting Mayatan’s scholarship program. Carlos can’t stress highly enough the importance of a bilingual education and the great start Mayatan provided for him. His teachers inspired him and he would like to thank everyone who helped him along the way.
Visit the ‘Support Us’ page to learn how to invest in the bright futures of Mayatan students and help us to create even more success stories!
