Coordinators: 

Alex Suarez

Howdy everyone! My name is Alex Suarez, and I am one of the Coordinators for the 2012 International Service Project to Guatemala. I am currently a second year Bioengineering student who resides at Martel College. I actually have had the opportunity to go, as a participant, to Guatemala last year via this service trip. The experience, seeing that it was my very first time travelinginternationally, allowed my global awareness to grow in scope as well as it redefined the meaning of service. We had the privilege to work alongside many of the indigenous Guatemalan people on such projects as road construction, beautification of the women?s resource center, and development of a community plumbing infrastructure. Additionally, the cultural immersion was something quite unique to Guatemala both in trying to communicate with individuals who don?t speak a lick of English and in seeing the tension between the indigenous and the Ladino populations. Also, I remember hearing from one of my coordinators last year just how much the projects had progressed since his last being there. Through going on this service project for a second time, I hope to delve more deeply into the cultural tensions that underpin the poverty and social inequality as well as lay witness to the growth that can happen in just one year?s time. There?s just so much to learn from their community and culture there that we, as a group, can bring back to our community in an education and awareness campaign. I hope this gives a brief overview of my experience, but if you want to know more please send me an email at alex.suarez@rice.edu.  Thanks so much!

 

Kayla Karvonen

Participants: 

Sophie Xu

 

Sophie Feng

Hi! I’m Sophie, a sophomore from Will Rice majoring in Kinesiology. Growing up, I’ve always been drawn to culture- how it varies in cuisine, music, dance, language. As my interests developed, I’ve sought to incorporate my love of culture into my additional passions for health equity, human rights, and international development. I’ve found a unique balance of these curiosities in the International Service Trip to Guatemala. Even though in the short term, I will be only a set of extra helping hands for projects just as stove building and reforestation, I hope to bring back with me a significant, first-hand experience that will ignite my future ambitions.  This trip has already taught me important lessons about the salient issues in Guatemala and the two weeks I spend in San Lucas Toliman in May will only result in further education and motivation to effect change on a global scale.

 

Jesal Shah

Hi, I’m Jesal! I am a freshman and am studying Bioengineering. I was born in Toronto, Canada, but have lived in Houston, Texas for over a decade! I am going on this trip, because I want to express my gratitude in a tangible and influential manner. I have received so much from life, an amazing education, a loving family and a healthy body, to name a few, and wish to convey it by devoting my time and efforts to help those who need it. As an aspiring physician, I believe this experience will strongly mold my relationship with humanity. The key to being a great doctor is not only medical knowledge and expertise, but a deep appreciation for mankind. I am very excited about the opportunities this trip presents for myself, but more importantly, for the people of Guatemala.

 

Nathan Truong

My name is Nathan Truong and I will be going on ISP to Guatemala as a sophomore from Brown College. I am currently majoring in Chemistry and devote time to volunteering and research while at Rice. Going on this trip, I hope to gain a sense of understanding of the diversity of lifestyles and cultures that exist outside the United States and the city of Houston where I have lived my entire life. Culture plays a big role in the big picture of the world and seeking to acknowledge and understand it is a big part of what I want I want to gain from serving in Guatemala as well as carry on during and after my time at Rice. I hope to find a career working with under-served communities and make my impact there.

 

Julian Rodriguez

Hello, My name is Julian Rodriguez and I am a junior at Martel College. I am Mexican-American and growing up, I would spend most of my summers with my grandparents in California who are originally from Mexico. These summers of being immersed in the Chicano part of my family is what has given me a sense of pride in being Latino. I have grown to learn more about Latin America and begin to helping out in Latin America as much as I can. Last summer I did a service trip to Peru, where I was able to help build a wind turbine, to later put up in the mountain region of Peru and give the people electricity as they had previously been off the power grid. Coming back to Rice after the summer I knew that I wanted to do more service in Latin America and when I found out about the ISP Guatemala trip I thought this was the perfect opportunity to continue my service. I am looking forward to going to Guatemala and not only helping others but further developing my knowledge of Latin America and of myself.

 

Lillian Nwora

I am a junior Women’s Track and Field student athlete here at Rice University. I am a Sports Medicine major with intentions of attending medical school. I enjoy shopping, cooking with her family, and trying new things. I am beyond thrilled to be going to Guatemala to participate in international service. From picking up my trash when it falls short of the trash can to working in the medical center seeing patients with health problems both big and small – impacting the world around you starts small and should grow. I would like the opportunity to learn from someone who doesn’t look like me, speak like me, and think like me. I have chosen to participate in this International Service Project to learn from  Guatemala and  el pueblo. This is how I wishes to globalize and better  the world around me.

 

Lucy Codron

 

Lucy Codron is a sophomore History major from Jones College. She has been actively involved with service at Rice University, from participating in and coordinating the Urban Immersion Program to helping organize the first-ever Mr. Rice charity fundraiser. ISP Guatemala is her first international service experience, and she is grateful for the opportunity to work with 14 other amazing Rice students. She hopes to immerse herself in Guatemalan culture and gain important knowledge about the issues facing the country, and is looking forward to working hard alongside individuals who have a different perspective than her.

 

Yahaira Verdejo

Hi! My name is Yahaira and I am a junior at Wiess College.  I was born in New York City, but have lived in Houston almost all of my life so I definitely consider myself a Houstonian.  I enjoy making crafts, watching movies, listening to music, and hanging out with friends in my spare time.  I also really enjoy volunteering!  This is one of the reasons that I am doing this service trip to Guatemala.  I have a lot of volunteering under my belt, but this will be my first time volunteering abroad (and hopefully not my last).  I am really excited about being able to experience something I love to do in such a different setting.  I think that it will be a really great learning experience to see issues that we have talked about first-hand and be able to bring that back with me once we return from our trip.  Another thing that I really enjoy are languages and learning about different cultures.  Spanish is my first language so I think that will be extremely helpful for this trip and will help me have a really great connection to the people we will be helping and interacting with, something I am looking forward to!  I hope to have many stories and learning experiences to share with everyone once we get back!

 

Navi Dhaliwal

My name is Navi Dhaliwal and I am a Martel Junior majoring in Mathematical Economic Analysis and Policy Studies originally from Dallas, Texas. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to study at Rice University and participate in the Community Involvement Center’s next International Service Project to Guatemala. My primary interests in economics and cross-cultural dialogue stem from  the idea of mutually beneficial exchange, and the belief that all people have something to learn from each other. As I prepare to leave for San Lucas Tolimán, I do so with an open mind and excitement for all I have to learn from its people.

 

Bryan Ramirez

Hello everyone, my name is Bryan Ramirez, but most of friends either address me as Bry-Bry, Brain, Bro, Flaco (which means

skinny in Spanish), or simply Bryan. I was born and raised in the wonderful city of Houston, Texas, but was always surrounded by the Guatemalan culture. Both of my parents were born in Guatemala, but they moved to the states after they had married each other. I am the first-born child, and have a brother Andy and a sister Leslie. We were all brought up to bring honor to our Guatemalan heritage, but none of us never got the chance to travel to Guatemala due to the violence present there. However, my luck has change in that I?ll be going to Guatemala this summer with a group of students from Rice University to work with the local parish on reforestation and construction projects in San Lucas Toliman.

As a child, I was taught that anything in this world could be accomplished if I worked hard and dedicated myself fully to finding success. My Taekwondo and school career reflect the products of my success. Life has taught me so many things and as I am getting ready to go on this trip, I am excited to know that I’ll be learning so much from different people as well as sharing knowledge I already have.

 

Kay Rodriguez

 

Tyler Woods

Hey everyone! My name is Tyler Woods, and I am a freshman at McMurtry College. I’m majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities (PJHC). I am so excited to be a part of the International Service Project to Guatemala! Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, I was frequently exposed to poverty in a third-world country, but was in such a sheltered environment that I never had the chance to do anything about it. Going on this trip, I hope to be exposed to and connect with a new culture, to learn about the social issues that affect the Guatemalan people, to understand the differences in needs between an urban environment like Houston and a rural one like San Lucas Toliman, and to make an impact on the people we are working with. I’m looking forward to spending two weeks with such an amazing group of people, volunteering in an incredibly meaningful environment.