Meet Sr Patricia, Onsite Facilitator for multiple programmes in Hatton

According to Sr Patricia Lemus Alvizures, “investing in education is the best way to transform the world.”  It is “the greatest wealth that people can have because it means developing themselves, their potentialities, and talents,” and (in the long term) lift entire communities.

Born in Guatemala, Sr Patricia’s vocation led her to enriching experiences encountering diverse people, cultures, languages, and faiths, living in Mexico, the United States, Kenya, and Italy. She now lives in Hatton, a town in the hilly, Upcountry part of Sri Lanka, where there are many tea estates. Education opportunities are limited and most youth are left with little choice but to work on the tea estates themselves, a cycle which our provision of higher education programmes aims to break. “JWL has brought the university to our area,” she highlighted, adding that, “Young people are provided with several opportunities to prepare themselves to face the challenges of today’s world.”

As a JWL Onsite Facilitator for the Learning Facilitator, Peace Leader and Global English Language (GEL) programmes, she accompanies learners as they make their way through their studies, preparing weekly onsite meeting activities aimed at encouraging reflection about the content they cover, guiding them in their discussions, clarifying any questions they may have, supports them in preparing for assessments, actively participates in the admissions process, and so much more.

Each course demands a unique approach because of the content and because of the diversity of the students.  For instance, Learning Facilitator programme trains teachers. I am a teacher myself so the content of the course is familiar to me. Peace Leader programme on the other hand has a completely different structure. It deals a lot with self-awareness, listening servant leadership and conflict solving. The assignments are mostly personal reflections. The sharing in the onsite meetings are very deep and personal because students feel free to share their personal issues.

Why be an onsite facilitator? Although it can at times be really challenging, Sr Patricia is motivated by the great passion and uniqueness of each student. She recalls how one student (also a GEL facilitator) who used to be “fearful and lacking in confidence” was then transformed by the Learning Facilitator programme. A GEL student completed level B1+ and went on to work in the capital city, Colombo. Not speaking Sinhala, she is nonetheless succeeding in her endeavours thanks to her English language and other skills gained during her studies. “When I see students fully engaged in the courses, I feel motivated because I witness the changes happening in their lives. […] Yes, working with JWL is not a job but a growing vocation.”