Chavalos Nica

Congratulations Alex!

Alex Flores has been named one of the 25 finalists for the Walton International Scholarship. He was chosen from hundreds of applicants. Now he suffers the wait until the final scholarships are awarded in March 2012. But he is not just sitting around waiting. He is continuing to take Chinese classes, and studying daily to score high on his TOEFL test.

Alex and his mom at his 2010 graduation

This is the Essay that, along with his excellant grades and community service, helped Alex win his place in this group of finalists:

One of my passions is playing soccer. My personal life is best described as a soccer game. Good players are not born with that ability. They must practice and train hard to get what they want. I am who I am because of my efforts. I consider myself a good player; a player who not only has become a useful person for his community and country, but also has taught younger kids how important is to get a good education that will buy them a great future. As an English teacher and as a Bible fellowship pastor, I am already providing a free good education and showing my students the right way of believing in God, which most of them did not know.

Although I come from a very poor family and I never have had an easy life with comfortable living and everything I needed, I have played in the game of life with the gifts God has provided me. I believe it does not matter what I have, but what I do with the few things I have. I can be helped by others like in a soccer team, but in the end what really counts is how I do my job, how I use the help my team gives me, and the result I get when working toward my goals.

Most of the time I try to study and work hard toward an excellent education to become a useful and skilled professional like a good soccer player trains hard to be the best. I spend my little free time with my loved ones, because my family is important to me. My father and mother have had a difficult life, and one of my goals is to make their life easier.

The purpose of a soccer player is making a goal. Another of my goals is trying to reduce childhood poverty in my country and give young people better opportunities for education. Because of this, I plan to get a scholarship to study in the United States and come back to my country well prepared and start a program for poor kids like me and give them everything to develop their intelligence. That way they will have a good future with a good job to support their families.

At a program called Chavalos Nica I have learned to work as a team player. My dream will not be possible without a team. I have a team. We are like a soccer team. Every one of us helps in some way to make our dreams come true.

Of course a great coach leads us. She is Rev. Mickey Dodson, a person who started this program and asked me without knowing me if I wanted to be part of the next revolution in Nicaragua, an educational revolution whose job would be to raise kids from poverty. Our coach gives us what is necessary to do our jobs, and leads us to reach our personal goals. As a team we are running our dream already. In my case I train little kids to become what I am now, or something even better. I believe these kids will continue with this project in the future and a new Nicaragua will be born.

What I am now would not be possible without God's support, my parents, my coach, and my team. Throughout the years they have contributed to my preparation. As a result I am a better and a different player than I was before. Every minute, every second of this game counts. I am not going to get back the time already played, but I can do an incredible good play for the rest of the time.

At this point and time I realize how much I have worked for being a tiny start for Nicaragua. Instead of feeling frustration and not continuing with the job, what I have done makes me very happy. I know myself completely, I am more human now, more likely to help others first and then take care of myself. I would like to play in a team capable of taking my abilities, intelligence, and dreams to a higher level. I believe that team is Walton, and I would love playing on your prestigious team.

Send your good wishes to Alex at: alejandro @ chavalosnicas.com