I recently had the opportunity to attend Levante’s mid-retreat. On this retreat, I realized how much older I have gotten. On this particular day, SAF brought along a Latina therapist who had a group session with the youth program members. I realize that some of these students had some deep stories. Some of them wanted to continue their education to give themselves and their family a better life while others wanted to focus on working for themselves.
They also talked about the negative comments they had received in the past and the effect such comments had on their morale. This reminded me that there are people that can take negative comments and make them the root for a positive outcome.
These students also talked about their future goals. Some of these students want to become doctors and other health care providers. It is exciting to know that in the future there will be more health providers that look like the people being treated. Some of these students want to become research scientists or go into real estate. I enjoyed this day because it reminded me of the impact that SAF can have on the student’s life.
SAF provides a way for students to interact with other students with similar goals. In addition, the students are able to get resources through SAF that otherwise would be unable to get. Overall, I enjoyed participating in the Levante mid-retreat as it reminded me of some of the reasons to keep supporting the community.
Written by: Nestor Tellez, SOL intern 2023