“…The students are the real superheroes of their own stories. We are just here to help them to find their superpower….” Karina Vergara, counselor at SUMATE.

 

A remarkable transformation indeed.

 

Its generosity and determination define her. She is always willing to share her educational experiences and goals to encourage other girls out of school to start over and show they can do it!

 

Aracely came to the SUMATE network in 2018 at 18 to start ninth grade (1ro medio in Chile), a school gap of four years. She was a shy-introverted teen with problems focusing on tasks and peer interaction. She also suffered bullying in her previous school and faced communication problems with teachers. However, a wise Aracely’s mother enrolled her in the SUMATE school following the excellent experience with her elder daughter (who later studied tourism career in INACAP). Her family lives in Puente Alto, Santiago, the father is a construction worker, and her mother cleans houses.

 

And Mama was right; she became a formidable student through the SUMATE model and even showed her natural abilities by participating as a character in two musical festivals. Also, she discovered her passion for Culinary Arts by attending SUMATE school workshops on Gastronomy. She graduated in 2021, ready to get new challenges and pursue her life’s projects. But now, at 21, as an empowered Aracely!

 

Her next goal is to start entrepreneurship in a Bakery-pastry shop. So, she is working on finding a regular job to pay her expenses, live independently and save money to carry out the project together with her boyfriend, who also met in SUMATE. Congrats! You can do it!

 

 

Once the education system gives up and abandons them, the SUMATE model offers students out-of-school tools to reshape and give a new meaning to previous negative experiences to retrieve their academic trajectories, complete education, workshops-training programs on specific occupations, and accompaniment to get higher education.

 

Over 227,000 are out of school in Chile; 50,000 are enrolled but have never shown up, and around 1.2 million have severe absences. It’s massive evidence of a system that has abandoned them.

 

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