Updates

We’re so proud to share that Edwin, one of our University Program students, has just started a full-time job with DP World Shipping in Lima, Peru. Earlier this year, after completing all of his visa requirements and finalizing a long interview process, Edwin was offered a professional position with DP World. The company’s Human Resources team, impressed by his performance and determination during his internship, recommended him for their management training program in Lima.

Edwin officially moved to Lima at the beginning of June 2025. It was a huge leap—both professionally and personally. He had never been on a plane before, let alone traveled to another country. In the weeks leading up to his move, Edwin stayed in close contact with our University Program Coordinator, Jenny, working through all the details and uncertainties. Jim and I gifted him an extra suitcase, Jenny helped him navigate the airport check-in process, and we connected him with my family in Lima for support. My sister, Caroline—a former Mission Santa Maria volunteer—and her husband, Francisco, welcomed Edwin at the airport, helped him find housing, and accompanied him through the transition.

It was a beautiful reminder: it truly takes a village—and we’re so grateful that all of you are part of Edwin’s.

But this journey didn’t begin in Lima.

You may remember some of Edwin‘s story from a video we shared two and a half years ago. Edwin comes from one of the most rural and impoverished towns in our area. To reach the Mission School, it takes 45 minutes by motorbike and bus—or a one-hour walk to the main road when the weather makes travel difficult. Edwin was raised in a hardworking, humble family, and his resilience was tested early. In 2021, after his father passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic, Edwin—who had already graduated from the Mission School and been accepted to a university in Santa Elena—was forced to drop out to support his mother and younger sister, Liz.

His story was both tragic and painfully common: a young man with potential sidelined by necessity, working day labor just to keep his family afloat. It seemed he was destined for a lifetime of hard, unstable work—until 2022, when we approached him about our newly forming University Work-Study Program.

We encouraged Edwin to apply, knowing his academic record and work ethic. But he hesitated. How could he give up the income his family depended on? That’s when we shared some good news: Liz would receive a full scholarship to continue at the Mission School, and the family would be enrolled in our new Scholarship Plus Program, receiving monthly food distributions. That small but critical support gave Edwin the confidence to pursue a different path.

In 2023, Edwin was accepted into the first cohort of the DP World Shipping Work-Study Program. Over the next two years, he studied mechatronics at ESPOL, a highly respected university in Guayaquil, while interning at DP World Shipping ports. There, he learned to troubleshoot complex mechanical and electrical systems that keep international ports running—everything from RTG crane mechanics to submersible pump motors used for dredging and dewatering. In February 2025, Edwin graduated—one of five students in our inaugural work-study class.

And now, Edwin is a professional. He’s settled in Lima, working hard, and sending money back to support his family. He recently told us that, although the past few years have been difficult, he has never felt as proud as the day he signed his contract with DP World. To him, having a stable, professional job with an international company that believed in him enough to offer him a position in another country is still hard to believe.

But we believe. We believe in Edwin. And we believe in the transformative power of education, opportunity, and support.

Thank you for being part of that.