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Josue’s (his real name) academic story began not as a result of Liga MAC’s influence but with inspiration from his father. In almost every respect, Josue is not a typical Liga MAC student. He does not come from a severely impoverished family; both his parents are present and involved in his life; and he is self motivated.

During Hurricane Odile in September 2014, Josue’s little brother was a newborn who suffered from the heat and high humidity. To relieve the baby’s discomfort, Josue’s father jerry-rigged a fan from a car battery. Fascinated by his father’s ingenuity, Josue who was only 12 at the time, began to explore alternate forms of energy. In fact, he became passionate about creating clean energy solutions.

Josue was referred to Liga MAC by the school social workers at CETMAR, a trade high school specializing in ocean technology. By the time he reached Liga MAC, Josue already knew what he wanted to do with his life: save the planet, his country, and his community, not necessarily in that order, from the ravages of climate change through the development of alternate clean and renewable energy sources.

In his quest to learn more by starting small, Josue fashioned a small solar system for his family home from discarded parts. In his spare time, Josue has honed his self discipline through the practice of martial arts and placed 9th in a recent national tournament. Josue recognized that his dream of becoming an engineer in clean technology meant he would have to attend a large university on the mainland, something that was beyond his parents means.

Enter Liga MAC! When asked by Liga MAC’s Executive Director, Elva Haro, what he had hoped to receive from Liga MAC, Josue answered, two things: the discipline, commitment, and personal skills he knew he needed to realize his dream; and, the ability to learn to speak English from non-judgmental, empathetic native speakers through Liga MAC’s volunteer run English as a Second Language program.
Josue graduates from high school this June and with Elva’s help has applied for a full university scholarship for which he is a virtual shoe-in. Josue has displayed all the attributes which will allow him to succeed in life: perseverance, hard work, and the ability to capitalize on opportunities when they present themselves. Ultimately, Josue hopes to become an environmental entrepreneur. Look out Elon Musk!!

Not all students come to Liga MAC preprogrammed like Josue. In fact most don’t. But Josue knew he needed guidance to fulfill his dreams. He knew he needed to be in an environment of learning and discipline. We have no doubt that Josue will achieve success and Liga MAC is grateful to have played a small part in his quest for excellence!