The Voces y Manos 2014 volunteer team is thrilled to share their experiences with YOU. We hope you enjoy reading the stories, and seeing the pictures that document our experience here. The writers of this blog are:
Shelly Escobar
I have recently graduated from UC Davis majoring in Sociology with an Education minor. Working with Voces y Manos has been a great opportunity for me to gain more experience working with youth and learning about a different culture. Some of my favorite hobbies are playing soccer and hiking, so working with the students in Guatemala has made me feel right at home.
Elena Pecot-Zuniga
My name is Elena Pecot-Zuniga. I just finished my second year at UC Berkeley where I am majoring in Spanish (more specifically, Hispanic Languages and Bilingual Issues) and minoring in Education. Voces y Manos is the perfect opportunity for me to travel abroad to experience another country’s culture, further develop my spanish-speaking skills, and work with youth: three things that I love. In my free time, I like to watch movies, go to dance performances & musicals, bowl, dance, make friendship bracelets, and attend “open mics.”
Michael Bakal
My name is Michael Bakal, and I’m one of the co-founders of Voces y Manos. I recently graduated from UC Berkley’s school of public health. Before that, I worked as a high school science teacher, and spent my summers working on the Youth Empowerment Program here in Rabinal. I’m thrilled to be in Rabinal again for my seventh summer, and am particularly excited to be working with an amazing team of volunteers and staff!
