Living her dream: Internet helps young woman from Basilan win a scholarship to study in Germany

ISABELA CITY, Basilan – Growing up in a small, crowded community in Isabela City, Basilan, 16-year-old Trixie Mae Eruela had never considered herself a standout.

Poverty had denied Trixie of many standard childhood luxuries. She never had a doll to call her own, for instance, and while her playmates cooked imaginary dishes on their kitchen toy sets, Trixie read books, and imagined living a more glamorous life in another place, another country.

Despite economic hardship, Trixie and her family lived happily within a closely-knit and peaceful community of Muslims and Christians.

However, as problems arising from a lack of sufficient funds became increasingly acute, Trixie’s dream of going abroad intensified. "Growing up, I really wanted to live in a foreign country and experience other people’s culture and lifestyle. I wanted to know more about the people, the culture, the architecture, and the history of other nations," she said.

She knew poverty would remain the biggest obstacle to fulfilling this dream and realized that education presented the best means of its eventual realization. Hence, the young woman from Basilan decided to concentrate on her studies at the Basilan National High School and she toiled to become one of the top students in her class.

"It’s good that our school was chosen as a Computer Literacy and Internet Connection (CLIC) Program partner because our windows were opened to new worlds," Trixie said with a smile.

According to her, researching academic subjects such as History and Science became easier and more fulfilling with the Internet-connected computers provided by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao Program (GEM), which implements CLIC.

With the Internet-connected computers, Trixie was able to create vivid images of life in other countries, by accessing foreign sites in her spare time, between conducting research for her Science projects and her term papers. Her growing knowledge of the world outside of her relatively isolated community increased her determination to pursue her dream. She did not have to wait long before it came true.

Trixie was chosen by teachers to apply for a scholarship offered by the American Field Services Youth Exchange Study (AFS-YES) Program. Founded in 1947 by young Americans who had volunteered as ambulance drivers during World Wars I and II, the AFS sends more than 1,500 students through its various scholarship and financial aid programs, to approximately 40 partner-countries every year. The organization’s objective is to help create a just and more peaceful world by providing intercultural learning experiences through global partnerships. Some of the partner-countries include the United States, Germany, Paraguay, Panama, Italy, Costa Rica, France, Thailand, Japan, Australia, and Hungary.

After undergoing a series of interviews and a rigid screening process, Trixie become an alternate candidate – a substitute who would fill the slot of one of the 40 students chosen to go abroad if that student was unable to go.

Somewhat disheartened, but not losing hope, she continued to wait for the AFS staff to contact her school – which it did after a few months. "They informed me that I did not make it to the AFS-Youth Exchange Study Program but they said I was qualified for another program, the AFS Year Program (AFS-YP) in Germany.

Ambassador Ruth Pearce of Australia, which is one of the AFS’ partner-countries, agreed to shoulder my expenses to whichever country the AFS choose to place me," Trixie explained. Germany is AFS’ largest partner after the United States, and was selected as Trixie’s destination.

Going to Germany, however, meant that she had to submit additional materials to support her application, including an extensive presentation on the country of her birth. Trixie conducted extensive research on the Philippines – its diverse cultures, history and current events – via the Internet. She also studied the German language online, and maintained regular correspondence with the AFS staff, asking for pointers on how to increase her chances of getting a scholarship.

With diligence, the support of her family and her school, and the CLIC computers, Trixie clinched the scholarship with flying colors. The Scholarship Screening Committee was impressed with the powerpoint presentation she made about the Philippines – a presentation based on her Internet research. Perhaps her biggest surprise was attaining a perfect score on the computer-generated German Language test. This prompted German Embassy officials to grant her a student visa immediately.

"Here in Germany, I am in 10th class, which is equivalent to the 4th year of high school in the Philippine educational system at Staatliche Regelschule in Dermbach. My subjects are similar to those in the Philippines, except for German and other subjects related to Germany," Trixie relates. She is staying with a foster family in Dermbach, Thuringen, Germany.

Besides battling the cold climate, Trixie admits to having a hard time struggling against "homesickness" – missing her family and friends back in Isabela City. But thanks to modern technology, she communicates with them by e-mail and "chat sites" whenever her schedule permits. Her friendly nature and adeptness in speaking German has also helped her make friends with some students.

Basilan National High School teacher Lorna Dunken, whom Trixie approached for help during the scholarship pre-screening stage, said that Trixie had always been a fast learner and a hardworking student who valued her studies. "We are so happy that Trixie made it this far. She’s an inspiration to all of our students," Ms. Dunken related.

Trixie was not the only BNHS student to benefit from resources provided by CLIC. Last year, students from this public high school in Basilan were chosen as Region IX representatives at a Webpage design competition. They won.

"The computers given to us by CLIC not only helped Trixie, but the other students as well. With the IT skills and additional knowledge they gained from exploring the computers and surfing the Internet, I know they can compete in the global job market," said Ms. Dunken.

Trixie is one of the more than 275,000 students in about 268 schools in Mindanao who have benefited from the CLIC Program.

The number of computer-literate students in the region will increase as more Mindanao schools become connected. USAID’s CLIC Program will provide Internet-connected computers to 700 schools in Mindanao by the end of September 2007, to help ensure that Mindanao students will not be left behind in the information technology age. – (GEM Program)