Spotlight

When he was 18 years old, Jorge Rosario came to Oaxaca City to help a friend recover from surgery. He came from a town one hour inland from Puerto Escondido, Santos Reyes Nopala, halfway up the southern mountains in an area of field and forest.

The eldest of 8 siblings, Jorge dropped out of school after his second year in secundaria (middle school) to plant and tend the fields, to work in construction as a bricklayer’s assistant, later as a clerk in a building supply store and as a shrimp fisherman.

After settling into the capital city he was encouraged to finish his studies, which he did, at the “secundaria abierta” or “open middle school”. During this period Gary Titus invited Jorge along with a few other youth to initiate and build the organization that is now known as the “Oaxaca Learning Center”. Because of his enthusiasm and intelligence, he was offered an internship with the Center and for the last several years has lived in, and been supported by, the Center.

Jorge talks a boutthose early formative days when he and his peers wrote up the application forms for future students and surveys to help identify likely candidates wanting tutorial help. That time was also filled with distributing flyers to schools and hanging up posters, inviting students to come participate in the newly formed project. In addition they also canvassed the city's schools encouraging students to come take advantage of the free assistance the Learning Center provides.

During that time Jorge did indeed finish his studies at the middle-school and then went on to finish high school, or preparatoria. This motivated young man then continued on at URSE, a university in Oaxaca, where he is currently in his third year studying language education. In addition to his native Spanish, Jorge now speaks English and French. Although he is a full time student, he continues to help out at the Learning Center as an English tutor for beginners, as the treasurer for the organization and to help in the operation of the Learning Center’s Bed and Breakfast.

Jorge’s future plans and aspirations include a desire to spend some time in the United States to perfect his English, and to work and save funds so that he may start his own language school here in Oaxaca. As well he hopes to have some influence in the educational methods applied in rural Oaxaca. When you sit and talk with Jorge you can feel his sincerity and his strong convictions. One is left with little doubt but that Jorge will be able to accomplish what he seeks.