As the semester comes to an end and academic demands kick into high gear, life managed to throw me an important message with perfect timing. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity of spending my most recent spring break in the community of El Espino. El Salvador. I could go on for days talking about all of the amazing things I learned and experienced while down there, but one of the most important things I came to realize was the value of education.

Living in America, it seems to be very easy to lose sight of the value of education. It is, in a sense, “expected” that students immediately attend college after high school in order to obtain a bachelor’s degree. While it is not a possibility for every student, it is pretty much a done-deal at this point. Any type of job would like to see that a student is currently attending or has graduated from college. When you only spend time in America’s school system, it’s extremely easy to forget that this is not the case for countries around the world. Being able to experience the culture in El Salvador really put into perspective that educational opportunities should not be taken for granted, because it isn’t a guarantee for everyone in this world. There are so many things that could come into play in life and take away the opportunity for education; cultural ideals, political issues within a country, financial demands, family problems, necessity of a job, and so on. To not have to deal with any of these and to be able to be a full-time student is nothing short of wonderful.

There are two critical organizations that work with the community of El Espino to provide scholarships for high school and university students. These organizations are Foundation for Cultural Exchange – El Salvador (FCE), and Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad (CIS). A focal point of the trip was being able to meet and establish relationships with the scholarship students in this community. While there is no cost to attend high school or universities in El Salvador (unless it is a private school), the cost comes to students as the opportunity cost. In this case it means that by going to school, these students are not able to work and help bring income into their families. It also means that there are additional costs incurred via textbooks and transportation. Long story short, FCE and CIS work together to make it possible for students to attend a university and work towards becoming a professional in their field of study so that they can better the world they live in.

To say I was humbled by the students I met while in El Salvador is an understatement. Many of the students wake up around 4 o’clock in the morning so that they can be ready for school and catch the bus around 5am. After this early morning, many spend their entire day at the schools and aren’t able to get home until 12+ hours later. On top of these long days of school, it is not uncommon to have school 6-7 days a week. I stayed with a host family while down there, and one of my host-brothers would wake up at 4am and not return home some days until 9pm. But not once was there ever a complaint that came out of his mouth. Here we are in America, some students having 5-6 hours of classes a day, and only 5 days a week, and still finding things to complain about. Needless to say, my gratitude for academics has been forever changed.

Although strenuous and demanding, academics are worth the price we pay. Whenever you feel stressed out and want to complain, remember that the end goal is to become the best at what you are doing so that you can give back to those around you. It is also critical to keep in mind that an education is not a guarantee for many around the world, and complaining about something that we should be grateful is extremely selfish when you take it in retrospect.