Blanca Luisa Surec Umul comes from a very hard working family in Tecpan Guatemala. Her father works as a farmer, and her mother weaves “guipiles” to sell. Guipiles are blouses that have flowers, animals and birds woven into the fabric. They are part of the typical dress of Guatemalan Indigenous women and girls. Blanca and her siblings were also taught this art by their mother, so that they could support themselves. Getting a scholarship through the Kateri Fund, Blanca has be

Barbara Tarton greatly wants to improve her life. She works very hard to reach her goals. Oneof her main goals is to graduate from school with good grades. She will look for opportunities to use the skills that she has learned throughout her life. Her family is very supportive of herstudies, and she hopes to repay their support by bettering the lives of her parents and five other siblings. Barbara is currently in the 10th grade and looks forward to finishing school so that s