By Kelly Shank –

Last year we reached a milestone at Dorie’s Promise. Our oldest child, Nayeli, completed her schooling in Guatemala and transferred to a private school in the United States.

Watching her over the last year has been exciting. She’s made the transition to the US, found a great group of friends, and is doing well.

After only one semester at her new school she was able to transfer to a local community college to begin her college career full-time. Nayeli’s college success comes as no surprise to those who know her well. She is one of the brightest, most determined young women we have ever met. While living in our home she was a natural leader to the younger children, a diligent student, someone the staff could rely on, and a valuable resource for visiting teams.

What we hadn’t realized until recently is that the success of Dorie’s Promise will really be measured by our ability to raise children who can live what we would consider regular lives and become fully themselves.

Nayeli taught us, without even knowing it, what lies in the heart of our children—the desire for us to see them as individuals, not focusing only on their story. Like each of us, our children carry a personal story that has shaped them and we work diligently to help them heal from their past hurts. Nayeli has transcended her story and become a confident young woman who owns her future. Our ultimate goal is to allow our children to become the best version of themselves.

Nayeli’s story is successful because she is pursuing her college degree in a field that interests her. She is creating a life filled with family and friends, just like each of us. She persevered through her first semester, adapted to life in the US, and became more comfortable with speaking English full-time. Listening to her tell about how much she enjoys the variety of classes she’s taking is refreshing. Even her uncertainty when asked about what she wants to do after college is encouraging.

We’ve succeeded in raising a young woman who feels confident in her abilities and is taking this opportunity to become herself.

The future of Dorie’s Promise is already impacted by Nayeli’s success as she anticipates returning to Guatemala to mentor our older children as they prepare to graduate and move into the next phase of their lives. Her experience gives them an example of the opportunities available when they face their fears and chase after their goals.

We’re grateful that Nayeli has been so influential to everything we do at Dorie’s Promise and can’t wait to see what her future holds!