Farther Foundation inspires greater achievement and ambition in students from communities challenged by chronic disinvestment and sustained inequities. We provide opportunities for students to participate in life-changing educational travel experiences across the country and around the world where they build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to propel them toward their highest potential.
In 2013, Father Foundation awarded Juan Romo, a high school freshman, a scholarship to participate in an educational travel program in Costa Rica. We recently caught up with Juan via Skype to talk about his memories of that program, his experiences since the summer of 2013, and his recent college graduation and career plans in the midst of a pandemic.
Juan’s journey has been both wonderful and typical of Farther Foundation students. We are happy to share some of our conversation with Juan in a series of posts we are sending out. If you are impatient to hear the entire interview, or if you missed earlier posts, you can binge watch the interview segments on our website now.
Part 1: Taking a bold step beyond the familiar
To find deserving students, Farther Foundation conducts outreach to schools and organizations in the Chicago area that provide support programs such as tutoring, mentoring, after-school support and college admissions prep that help students achieve educational and life goals. We asked Juan, how it was he came to hear of our scholarship program and why his school supported his application.
Equity demands that we look to support students from families and communities that are currently and have historically been deprived of resources and opportunities. We also recognize that students from these communities are talented, intelligent, and ambitious, and often have family and community supports. Juan talked with us about the barriers he faced growing up in his community and the supports that he had for success.
At the core of Farther Foundation’s mission is the belief that when students take a bold step beyond the familiar, they will reap the benefits of new skills, new ideas, new aspirations and new confidence. We talked with Juan about how he came to the decision to travel to Costa Rica on a cultural immersion program, and what made him excited or nervous about going.
Part 2: Experience is a teacher
Having made the decision to travel abroad and receiving a scholarship from Farther Foundation to make it possible, Juan joined a program in Cost Rica. Reflecting on his time there, Juan talked about the importance of all the “firsts” he experienced away from home.
Juan had some advice for students who may also be curious or nervous about taking this big step.
A thought attributed to both Oliver Wendell Holmes and Ralph Waldo Emerson is, “A mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions”. The quotation is perhaps cited too often, but we like it at Farther Foundation. The travel programs our students experience have immediate and long-term effects on their lives. We asked Juan how his experience effected his high school experience.
Part 3: College choice, transition, and success
We believe one of the most impactful benefits of the Farther Foundation experience is how it affects a student’s college choice. A key to college success is finding a school that is the right match for your abilities and academic interests, and the best fit for your personality and learning style. A student who has had a set of diverse experiences, away from home, is better equipped with the awareness and confidence needed to cast a wide net in finding and selecting a learning environment that is the best match and fit.
Juan also discussed college affordability, scholarships, and not eliminating potential schools because of their full tuition price.
Almost all Farther Foundation students transition to a college culture that is unlike the community they live in. We asked Juan about the transition to college life.
Juan told us previously about how his Farther Foundation experience in Costa Rica back in high school sparked a greater interest in travel. He goes on to tell us about the many opportunities he was able to avail himself of during college.
Part 4: College to career in the time of COVID
Sadly, due to the pandemic, students graduating in 2020 missed out on important and fun markers in their lives, including a graduation ceremony. Perhaps more importantly, their ability to effectively job search and find employment was hampered. We asked Juan how the pandemic affected the end of his college experience and the start of his next phase of life.
Juan wrapped up our interview by reflecting back on what he thought was the biggest lesson he learned from his trip to Costa Rica in 2013 and how he continues to carry that lesson with him to this day.
P.S. Since we conducted this interview earlier this year, Juan has landed a job with a firm in his chosen field of marketing as a research analyst!
You can support more students like Juan with a donation to Farther Foundation today.