My name is Mario Alfonso Rodriguez Peralta. I am 27 years old and I was fortunate enough to have support from the Asla Foundation from 2013 until 2020. I am from a community called El Espino, a small farming community about 2 hours from Condega. Most people plant beans and corn for consumption. With the help of Asla I received support for 2 years of high school and 5 years at the University. At that time I studied at a University in Condega, but now the branch is closed. I received my degree in English, and now I am an English teacher in the community of San Jose de Pire, which is about 40 minutes from where I live. I teach all levels of English to about 130 students in all five levels of high school, grades 7-11. San Jose de Pire is also a farming community, slightly bigger than El Espino, but with a population of less than 600 people. Classes are all day on Saturdays. Wednesdays are half a day for tutorial support.
I am so grateful to my family for giving me love and good values. I have two younger brothers who are 21 and 24. My brother Hector is looking for a job in Spain; if he has not found a job soon he might come home at Christmas. My other brother Danis works construction in Costa Rica. My father is a farmer of beans and corn. Sometimes he produces more than we can eat, and then he sells the extra in Condega. My mom works in the home.
I like to help people who want to learn, and I feel it is important for high school students to learn English. When not teaching, I am prepping for classes and traveling to Condega for meetings at the Education Department. And in my free time, I help my dad with the farming. I also love to listen to music.
Thank you, Asla, for your support and for helping me to have a career which I love and, at the same time, allows me to help others.
Litzel's Story
My name is Litzel Nohelia Acuña Rugama. I am 14 years old and live in Guanacaste, a community about 30 minutes by bus from Condega. I am now finishing my second of five years of high school. Here our school year goes from February through November. I study all day on Saturdays (8 am to 3:30 pm) and Wednesdays (1-5pm) in Santa Teresa, a town about a 20 minute bus ride from my house.This was my first year to receive support from the Asla Foundation, and both my family and I are so grateful.
I live with my grandparents, my mother and father, my sister (11), my uncle, his wife and their 3 year old son, and my mom's sister (my aunt) who is 16 years old and will finish her 4th year of high school in November. She has had support from the Asla Foundation for 3 years, and my little sister has applied for 2026.
My grandfather is a farmer and my grandmother works in the house. My mother works in a cigar factory in Condega Monday through Friday.
We are all excited because in December and part of January we will go to visit family in Wiwili, a city about the size of Pullman. Families of both my grandparents and great-grandparentslive in that area. We take a bus for about 7 hours northeast from here toward a big river called Rio Coco, where the country is moremountainous and colder. We stay at different places to see some of our family. Then, from Wiwili we take a truck two more hours to get to a small community called La Llorona where my grandfather's parents live. We eat so well there with all the good food grown, including oranges, malanga, banana, and coffee. We have fresh tortillas and coffee every day. Then we go to visit my grandmother’s parents where we have to take a boat for an hour to Corozal. We all love to go to see all the family up there during this time.
In my spare time I love to play soccer with my friends and also help my grandmother. I also study hard to get good grades. Thank you so much to the Asla Foundation for all the support you give my family. Many blessings to you.
2024 Scholarship Graduates and 2025 Enrollments!
Great news – at the end of the 2024 school year in December, 25 Asla-supported students graduated from high school and college! Sixteen students graduated from high school and all but one of them have gone on to college. Nine graduated from college with their degrees in Engineering, Radiology, Accounting, Veterinary Medicine, Physical Education,, and Teaching. Nola reports that most are looking for jobs, one is working as an instructor at an education center, and another in administration at a factory. A few of our students left the program this year, most to emigrate; others left to work so they can help their parents feed their families.
The 2025 school year has just begun in February, and we’re happy to report the following:
Total Scholarships Provided in 2025: 168
New Scholarship Students: 24
Returning Scholarship Students: 144
Students attending College: 89
Students attending High School: 79
Money raised this year so far: $54,400 – Our costs for scholarships this year is $55,830, so we are very close to meeting our goal!We’re working to raise this difference.
Thanks to everyone for your support of our Nicaragua scholarship students!
Meet Madiel, a Kindergarten teacher and recent scholarship graduate!
My name is Madiel Odalis Peralta Ruiz. I started to receive support from the Asla Foundation when I was in my second year of high school. I went on to the university with my scholarship and studied to be a primary teacher. I graduated in 2023 and am now a kindergarten teacher in Santa Teresa which is about an hour bus ride from Condega.
I am so happy, and I love being a teacher. I teach from 8am to 12pm, Monday through Friday. I grew up in Santa Teresa, so I feel very fortunate to be able to teach here. If I had not received a scholarship to study, I would have tried to figure out how I could pay for it, but it would have been a struggle for me and my family.
I live with my grandmother, my 2 sisters, and my 2 nephews in Santa Teresa. My sister also received help from the Asla Foundation, and she now teaches in El Nispero, a community near Santa Teresa. I am 22 years old, my older sister, the teacher, is 28, my little sister is 9, and my 2 nephews are 10 and 6. My mother died about 3 years ago from cancer which was so, so hard and sad. But we are very thankful to all live together with my grandmother. My father lived in Santa Teresa and worked when he was able; now he lives in another town.
I am so grateful for the help which I received for six years to finish my studies. Now I am a teacher, and I love it!
Last year I was asked to be a part of the Asla Foundation’s film describing the scholarship program and its impact on our lives. I really enjoyed explaining how the program has helped me in my life. You can see the film clicking the box below.
Thank you so very much and blessings to all of you.
Meet Gerald, a new college scholarship recipient!
My name is Gerald Jeronimo Gomez López. I live in Solidaridad, a neighborhood outside of Condega. I am 16 years old and in my first year of the university, studying medicine. I have a younger brother and sister. My brother is in 4th grade and my sister in 5th grade. I have always been very small, but this past year I have grown 2 inches and I am happy about that. I like to read and listen to music. It makes me happy to learn new things and to discover the many new things of the world.
My father and my mother have few resources so I am very grateful to have the support from Asla in order to study. We live in a house made of black plastic and mud walls with zinc sheets for our roof. My father works very hard doing jobs where he can, mainly helping in building or repairing houses.
I travel for an hour by bus to Esteli everyday to study. It has not been easy because I have a heart problem. When I was in grade school, it was difficult for me to do strenuous activities, and I would tire easily. My father has brought me to doctors, but so far I have not had surgery. I do take medicine which helps with my strength. Now I am working hard in my studies and doing well.
I have known Nola since grade school. We connected because we both have heart problems. Nola has always been so kind and shared about her surgery and heart defect, and she always encouraged me to keep going.
Life has been a challenge, but I am very happy to be able to study. I hope to become a doctor and help children with health problems and make myself and my family proud.
I hope that I will succeed as a doctor, and I am so grateful for the support.
Thank you and blessings!
Highlights from our 2023 and 2024 School Years!
The end of the 2023 school year (which ends in December) saw 33 graduates! Twenty-five students graduated from high school and ALL of them have gone on to college. Eight graduated from college with their degrees in Teaching, Veterinary medicine, English, Chemistry, Natural Sciences, and Pharmacology! Nola reports that several have jobs, including one working at a university, and others at local factories. A few of our students left the program this year, mainly to emigrate to the United States or Spain, and others to work so they can help their parents feed their families.
The 2024 school year began in February and we’re happy to report the following:
Total Scholarships Provided in 2024: 164
New Scholarship Students: 17
Returning Scholarship Students: 147
Students attending College: 84
Students attending High School: 80
Money raised this year so far: $44,800 – Our costs for scholarships this year is $55,400, so we are still short by about $11,000—Please help us bridge that gap by donating today, thank you!
Our 2024 High School Scholarship Recipients!
Our 2024 College Scholarship Recipients!
My visit to our scholarship students in Nicaragua!
From left: Daniel, Jess, Nola and Gautam. Gautam and his assistant Daniel were our video producers.
By Jess Neff
In mid-March of this year I had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua for a week to visit with Nola and some of our current and former scholarship students. It was truly wonderful to be back in Nicaragua, seeing old friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen since I lived there 21 years ago. Many things were exactly how I remember them, and some new changes were prominent. For example, almost everyone I saw had a cell phone, and there are newer, bigger houses being built
in and around Santa Teresa, the community I lived in, paid for by people who emigrated to the United States and are sending money home.
I arrived in Managua, rented a car, and drove a few hours north to Condega where I met up with Nola. She has been working with a film director and his assistant who have been filming and interviewing Asla students, some who are just starting high school and others who graduated recently and are working. Their stories of struggle and perseverance are remarkable and inspirational. Working on our scholarship program from the U.S. leads to a certain level of disconnect from the students, so meeting them and hearing how their lives have changed for the better because of their scholarships was truly motivating for me. It reinforced the significant impact our donors are having on the lives of our students and their families. The college students and graduates feel that they can achieve anything they set their minds to, and they are motivated to continue to work hard, learn new skills and work toward the careers they want.
We interviewed 30 students and asked them about the needs they have that aren’t being met by their scholarships. Are there classes or skills they want to learn that aren’t offered in their schools? Are there any similarities amongst the students in terms of their needs or desires? Essentially, we wanted to understand if we can improve the Asla Foundation to further meet the needs of our students and provide them with even more opportunity. Once we’ve reviewed all of the interviews I’ll send a follow-upnewsletterarticle with our findings, but some key themes did emerge: many of the students we interviewed wanted to have regular access to a computer and learn how to use one better. Many of the students, even the college graduates, were only minimally familiar with how to use a computer. And, most of the students would like to learn English, as they see it as a way to find better employment and generally improve their lives.
After we wrapped up filming, I enjoyed driving south to spend a couple of days with the family I lived with when I first moved to Nicaragua in 2000 as a Peace Corps volunteer. We have remained close over the years and it was wonderful to visit with them again. But only a few of my family members still live there, as the rest have emigrated to the U.S., looking to make more money and build a better life for themselves.
Our hope is that the Asla Foundation will provide our students the opportunity to become employed in an area that is fulfilling to them and provides the financial stability to meet their needs and help them prosper. Your support of the Asla Foundation is helping to make that happen!
Jess interviewing one of our college scholarship students at a local high school library in Condega.
Children walking through the main road in the community of Santa Teresa
Graduation in Nicaragua - December 2022
By Nola Nackerud
Happy Holidays! We do not celebrate Thanksgiving here but instead go right into Christmas. The first few days of December are the graduations. Not only do we have graduations from high school and universities, but also from kindergarten and 6th grade. All are just as important and full of pomp and circumstance. If you are a male, you usually walk in with your mom, aunt, sister, godparent or grandmother. If female, you walk with your dad, uncle, brother, godparent or grandfather. Some schools use togas, but many wear their school uniforms. Usually they use togas for high school and/or university. The ceremony is very organized and decorated beautifully. For seniors in high school, the evening of their graduation is a dance and all are dressed in beautiful outfits. They dance and have a good time with family and friends. Usually the ceremonies are in the mornings. Then in the afternoon, people gather at their homes and eat and have a beautiful cake for all. Parents are so very proud to see their children graduate be it from kindergarten, 6th grade, high school, or the university. Professional photos are taken at each level before the graduations, and parents proudly display them on their walls.
Nola with two high school graduates.
Graduates in their uniforms, ready to receive their diplomas.
Spotlight on Inspiring Former Scholarship Student!
Erling holding his two published books of poetry
My name is Erling Torrez and I am 32 years old. I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship through the Asla Foundation in 2007 to study at the National Autonomous University. I studied in Esteli every Saturday and I received my diploma in Mathematics in 2012.
I am from a rural community outside of Condega called San Jose de Pire. To get to my classes I would ride a bus to Condega (about an hour) and then take another bus to Esteli (another hour). After graduation I worked for two years at a high school here in Condega, but then I was transferred to another high school called the Marista Institute in Condega. I have been there ever since teaching all levels of Mathematics to high school students.
I am the youngest of four (two sisters and two brothers) and the only one to go on and study at the university. My siblings all live in San Jose near my parents. I live in Condega in a small house that I fixed up. I often help students in my house if they need extra support.
I like to write poems and was lucky enough to have 2 poetry books published, one here and one in Peru. I had a friend in Managua who helped me get one book published here, and another friend connected me with someone from Peru.
I am very grateful for the support that I received from Asla, and I am so happy to see other students from rural areas receiving that same kind of support from Asla.
Erling’s books of poetry
Updates about our scholarship program in 2021 and 2022
Last year was a difficult year for Nicaragua students with the political situation in the country and the continuation of Covid. But students persevered, and the end of the 2021 school year (which ended in December) saw 17 graduates! Nine students graduated from high school and ALL of them have gone on to college. Eight graduated from college with their degrees in Nursing, Public Accounting & Finance, Psychology, English, Dentistry, Physics, and Bioanalysis! Nola reports that several have jobs, one in the mayor’s office, another at a university in Managua. One student had a baby recently and is staying home for the time being, and two have left for the US to look for jobs.
The new school year began in February in Nicaragua. Here are a few stats for this 2022 school year:
Total Scholarships Provided in 2022: 142
New Scholarship Students: 45
Returning Scholarship Students: 97
Students attending College: 65
Students attending High School: 77
The photo below is of all the high school and college students who were able to come to the group meeting with Nola and Elisa. You can see Nola on the left and Elisa on the right of the second row.
Thanks to all sponsors for your continuing support. Students and their families are extremely grateful for the schooling you help to provide.
