This past week we received introduction letters from two sponsors for students in our newest Cohort, Cohort 13. On Saturday night I gave these letters to the two respective first year students. The students immediately opened their letters and began reading with enthusiasm. With some help from their second-year classmates, and a little bit of google translate, they were understanding the content of their letters. It was encouraging to see the joy it brought these two students. They immediately looked at their second-year classmate and asked a question in Spanish. The second-year student slowly explained to them how to say, in English, “Can you say thank you to them for me,” initially they said only, “Thank you for that.” The girls were trying to ask me to thank their sponsors for writing to them. When they successfully asked the question in English they were proud to have learned yet another English sentence this week. They were so excited about their letters and wanted to be sure they showed their gratitude accordingly. They were also asking how to say “grateful” in English because they wanted to be clear just how happy these letters had made them. These two students have been learning and speaking English for a mere two weeks. Their improvement already is astonishing. Two things stood out to me in these moments around the dinner table on Saturday night. First, sponsorship makes a significant difference in the lives of our students. And second, our students are determined and excited to learn as much as they can during their time at The Leadership Center. 

If you are not sponsoring a student this year but would like to become a penpal to our students, please email sponsor@leadershipmission.org and we will connect you with a student to mentor through our letter writing program.. You will experience their English skills strengthen and improve first-hand, while also bringing encouragement to the girls in their studies.