Almost every day is a good day at Vittana. We work hard, we have fun. We’re scrappy, and we sweat the details 24/7 to get more students funded.
Like any company, some days are better than others. Last week, we had an extremely good day. Why? We received an amazing update from Haward, one of the early students we funded. We wanted to share his full story. Read on, and enjoy.
About 10 months ago, a 22-year-old young man named Haward Alvarez Morales appeared on Vittana.org. He was just 1 semester away from finishing law school in Nicaragua. Through a combination of scholarships, part-time jobs and help from his family, he’d been able to get this far. Now, however, his father had lost his job and though Haward was earning enough to get by, he would need 2-3 years to save enough to finish his last 2 months of school. The amount? $1000.
Here is Haward’s original loan request page:
http://www.vittana.org/students/22
We first interviewed Haward back in October last year:
Over the course of a few weeks last October, 11 Vittana lenders from Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and many other cities from around the world made loans for everything between $25 to $300. Because of these 11 people, Haward was able to get his $1000 loan and sign up for his final classes.
Haward finished law school and graduated in January. He sent us a scanned copy of his diploma. He didn’t just graduate — he graduated cum laude, in the top 10% of his class. Since then, he’s gotten two different raises and a new job.
Last weekend, we got an email from Haward. He wrote:
“I wanted to let you know that I’m currently working on corporate issues (contracts, advisory services, etc), taxes, and property. With that in mind, I’d like to offer you our company’s legal services. Garcia & Bodan is one of the best law firms in Nicaragua, and if you are interested in receiving legal advice, whether for Vittana or for AFODENIC, I would like to try to get a pro bono arrangement for you.”
We were floored. Here was our Haward, a student that had won us over with his million-dollar smile back in October, a student that had needed our help to get his $1000 loan to finish his last semester, coming back just a few months later to offer his time pro bono as a grown-up, full-fledged lawyer. He couldn’t directly help another student right now, but could he help other people help more students?
He is just amazing, isn’t he? It’s inspiring to see how, in just a few months, Haward has gone from a youthful, scrappy student to a professional, transformed young man — you can see it in his clothes, his books, his confidence, his articulateness. I know he’d protest but, I have to say - we are all so inspired by Haward. He’s a amazing example of what’s possible when you believe in someone and give them a real chance.
There are so many others like Haward. Every month, $25 or $50 at a time, hundreds of Vittana lenders from around the world help young people around the world achieve their dreams. Right now, 20+ students’ loan requests are on Vittana.org — including many other Nicaraguan young men and women like Haward — waiting to be funded. Who do you think might be the next Haward?
Make a loan today. Just like with Haward, you might be surprised how little it takes to help a young man or woman make their dreams a reality.
http://www.vittana.org/students
To Haward — a truly inspiring young man,
Kushal
{ 3 comments }
I’m not a wealthy person myself but I think that in such a case even 1-2$ can make a difference because when they will sum up this 1$ (at a time) can change someones life. It’s called butterfly effect.
Love it. This just goes to show, some don’t need a handout, they just need a hand, and then they can come right back and help others.
Thanks for sending me this post through twitter. It is very inspirational to see the difference people can make when helping others. Keep up the great work Vittana!
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