Alumni reunion

The College had an alumni reunion this Saturday in La Paz -- and it was incredible! About 30 students who work in and around La Paz came and shared food and stories, and we were blessed with the presence of Tara Nolan, the niece of our foundress Sister Damon.

There is an Aymara indian tradition of getting together to share food, called an apthapi, a Bolivia potluck. This sharing is saying, "We are the same, we are family."


Photo: Graduates of the College sit and share food at the Parque Central Urbano in the city of La Paz.

While we ate, each student spoke of his or her struggles, accomplishments and dreams. The alumni remembered the incredible opportunity to study, and how Sister Damon inspired each one. Sister Damon also sent her words of greetings on a DVD that her niece brought along, and encouraged them to give back to the College, through the scholarship program.

Some grads are working at NGOs that help farmers, one for the Ministry of Health, some at hospitals, and some have their own businesses, every one successful in a different way. "We all came from humble families, and life was hard. But Sister Damon has faith in each one of us, even when we didn't believe in ourselves," said one student to the group. "She knew we could succeed, and now here we are." There they were, a testament to the power of education.


Update (Dec. 13, 2010): We had another alumni reunion in Coroico a week later -- read about it here on Sarah's blog.