BECA was happy to announce that two more BECA students successfully achieved their university degrees in 2011: Franz Mustacedo, who graduated in the field of Marketing, and Ita Suarez, also in Marketing. BECA how has three graduates (in Bolivia, they're called "Licenciados", the equivalent of baccalaureate degrees in the U.S.). They have achieved what most university students in Bolivia do not. Most Bolivian university students complete the necessary coursework, but never get around to actually taking the final oral exam or thesis that would actually result in receiving their degree. It is a final step that usually requires an extra year of preparation to take the exam and then the taking of the exam itself. Most students, with their coursework completed, immediately enter the workforce and never complete the degree. It is ultimately to their detriment because their earning power is virtually doubled once their receive their degree. It has always been the stated objective of BECA to not only support students through their years of coursework study, but to see them all the way through to their degree.
In addition to the two new graduates, six BECA students will have completed all their coursework by the end of 2011. In 2012, five of the students, will undergo a preparatory course for taking the final exam in their field and then actually taking the exam and graduating as "licenciados" by the end of 2012. The sixth student who has been studying medicine to become a doctor, is expected to be assigned as an intern at a hospital somewhere in Bolivia, after which he will receive his degree, also.
Of the remaining three current BECA students, one was forced to briefly drop out in 2011 due to the unexpected death of his mother, the primary breadwinner of the family. He had to take a job to help pay for her final medical expenses and help his father with other household expenses. Nevertheless, he is prepared to return to the university in January with only two or three courses left before he, too, will have completed his coursework for his degree and can move to complete the preparatory course for the final exam. He should receive his degree sometime in 2013.
The other two current BECA students are in their 2nd and third years of study, respectively, and both are receiving excellent grades.
By the end of 2013, BECA should have realized the graduation of 10 students with baccalaureate degrees or an M.D.
BECA's FUTURE
Because so many of BECA´s current students are entered their 6th and final year in 2012, when expenses for the preparatory course and the taking of the final exam result in twice the expense of a normal year of coursework, BECA did not add any new students in 2012. Additionally, due to the unusually long and deep economic recession being experienced in the U.S., contributions to BECA have declined.
During 2012-2013 the directors of BECA will be investigating potential alliances with other charitable organizations operating in Bolivia, with a goal of formalizing and defining an operating structure for the organization going forward. It is our hope such a formalization would allow for BECA to continue for many years to come to provide the opportunity for low-income students in Bolivia to study at the university level and graduate, establishing a new legacy for their families of upward mobility and helping to narrow the extraordinarily wide economic and social gap between the upper and lower classes in the country.
As these efforts are made we will continue to keep our contributors and others informed of our progress. In the meantime, BECA's students in Bolivia frequently express their extreme gratitude for the opportunity the BECA program has offered them.
