GROW Scholar Highlight: Meet Danna Citlaly

Meet Danna Citlaly, one of our GROW Scholarship Recipients!

The Scholarship Program

Poverty and wealth inequality are significant challenges in Mexico. About 18% of the country lives in extreme poverty, and among rural communities, school dropout rates, absences, and grade repetition are serious problems.

These issues are seen in settings like Cerro de Ortega, one of the communities where a lot of our scholars live, where there is a higher incidence of violence and drug abuse.

In this type of setting, children are often encouraged to start contributing to family finances rather than continuing school. This is because school means more expenses such as: internet access, commuting, uniforms, and school supplies.

Through the program that is administered in conjunction with Project Amigo, students and parents learn to understand the value of education and a pathway for a better future early on. The retention rate for those proceeding to middle school is 87% compared to 65% for those who do not participate in the program. Similarly, students from Cerro de Ortega who have been supported through GROW show a higher level of advancement to university than any other area of the state.

Meet Danna Citlaly

Danna Citlaly is in her last year of high school. She lives with her parents and two younger siblings. Her father is a farmworker in the banana growing region of Colima.

• What she wants to be when she grows up: an architect

• Hobbies: drawing and building models

Thanks to the GROW Program, Danna Citlaly found a support system of role models and friends. She shares that she feels “very happy and at home in the GROW Project Amigo program. The staff and other students make me feel welcome.”

Not only that, the program also motivates students to reach their full potential so they can achieve their life dreams. Danna enthused, “the scholarship is an incredible help, allowing me to continue with my studies. There are so many benefits, and they are helping me move towards my greatest life goal–to be an architect.”

As a GROW Scholar, Danna Citlaly is responsible for maintaining a GPA higher than 8.5, performing 10 hours of community service each month, and attending homework club.

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