Greetings, my name is Prisca Medina Morey. I am 43 years old. I reside in San Ignacio Town in the Cayo District. I am presently enrolled in the Elementary Studies Bachelor’s Degree Program thanks to the Omar Ortiz Scholarship Foundation. I am a common-law wife and a mother of four lovely children: a daughter, a son and two step sons ranging in the ages of 11 to 22. One of the qualities I am most proud of is of being punctual, humble, helpful and never giving up. Throughout my life I have encountered many obstacles but I have never given up. Through some, I have been successful and through others, I wasn’t but that didn’t keep me from trying. I always try my best to face adversities in a positive way and with a smile. I am also a believer that one should always use the talents our Heavenly Father provided us with. I therefore, enjoy helping others where possible. What I enjoy most is making people smile since I believe that a smile makes a big difference in any situation.

I have experienced many transitions in my education. At the age of 9 I was transferred from San Jose Succotz R.C. School to Mount Carmel Primary School where I completed my primary education studies. At the age of 13, I was enrolled at Mopan Technical High School and thanks to a Scholarship granted by Mr. Nicholas Ruiz from Benque Viejo Town, I was able to complete my high school education. Being a single parent’s child was very challenging. My mother has always been a hard worker and made up her mind that none of her children would stay without at least a high school education. She worked tirelessly to achieve that. I am extremely grateful to my mother for her sacrifices.

After finishing my high school education I was unable to continue my studies due to lack of finance. I then decided to seek employment in order to help my mother financially. I worked for over three years as a secretary at the Cayo Center for Development and Cooperation which closed its doors a few years later due to lack of funds. Again, I was without employment and without higher education to acquire another job. I was then hired by the Government of Belize to work as a Char Woman at the San Ignacio Post Office Branch where I served for over five years. Upon my resignation I moved to the United States of America where I lived and worked for almost seven years. Upon my return to Belize I decided that I needed to do something that would show my children that I could be someone successful in life. I decided to further my studies at that point.

In 2009 at the age of 33 I enrolled at Sacred Heart Junior College under the Primary Education Associate’s Degree Program. I wanted my children to see that hard labor always pays off so I tried my best at getting good grades. I graduated with honors at the age of 35 in 2011 with a GPA of 3.67. I wanted to continue my education but at that point in time my eldest child was enrolled in high school and I needed to assist my family financially.

My teaching career started as a volunteer teacher at St. Andrew’s Anglican School where three months later I was hired to teach permanently at that institution. I have been teaching for the past eight years. Presently, I am a dedicated standard 3 level teacher. Being a teacher has been one of my most rewarding achievements, not only financially but also emotionally. Every year I get an opportunity to meet new little faces and get to experience the rewards of achieving something great with my students. After having dedicated myself to my teaching career I decided that I wanted to continue with my studies. I wanted my students to have the best education possible and in order to give them that I needed to become better prepared. The only issue was that I was unable to finance my education since my daughter was also enrolled in a tertiary level institution. It would have been impossible for me to achieve my goal without the Omar Ortiz Scholarship.

I have completed my first year under of Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Program majoring in Mathematics and Science with a cumulative GPA of 3.65. This has only been possible due to the scholarship program I was granted and the grace of our Heavenly Father. I intend to continue doing my utmost best so that I can make my family, my Galen Institution and the Omar Ortiz Scholarship Foundation proud of my achievements. I am also planning to continue with my educational studies after completing my Bachelor’s Degree. I will not stop until I achieve my Master or Doctoral Degree in Education.