1. A Little Black Boy from the Southside Belize City
Dear Editor,
Please allow me to address this letter to the youths of Belize. I always read your
editorial and it is seldom encounter an article with inspiring words to motivate the youths of this
beloved country. If it means hold in ambiance someone letter for it content might be grumbling
about politics, or another person might be responding to an article published last week. Our
youths need hear this, for some people are embarrass to share their story. In this article, I will
mention my living condition when I grew up in the Southside Belize City, how I obtained an
education, and lastly I will list 5 key elements our youths could do to improve their level of
education.
First I must mention that my dad was a single father with 5 children. My family once
lived on Pen Road Ext in a two bed room board house with no light nor water. Heretofore, this
house is still visible 25 meters from the main road. In addition, whenever it rains the entire area
was flooded and had to use pallets as our bridge. Nope, this is not the 80s I am referring about,
but to be precise it was the late 90s. In 1997 my sisters and I attended Gwen Lizarraga High
School since it was what my dad could have afforded. We had to finish our homework before the
sunsets. We had no television, and just a small battery operated radio. Our lunch money for
school was $5 per person a week, and that was sufficient for a .25 cents water and a meat pie
daily. I had to fetch water in buckets from approximately 300 meters from a family member.
Therefore, I was not ashamed to halt my marbles and executed this duty for about 2 years. My
family relocated to St. Martin area and this was when my real journey begun.
Anyways, as a third former I noticed the differences between my friends and I. The way
they dress, talk, live, lunch money, and many more were far different. Besides, some people had
it worse, but those from middle class families I could have recognized. I realized that I must do
something not only to fit in, but to help my family and myself. So, I then worked at an auto
dealer/rental as a handyman. I then performed a wide range of task as follows: washed cars, cut

2. the yard, paint, even bath a dog named Rex, and picked up her feces around the compound. The
bosses of the company developed their trust in me and every holidays I had a job where I saved
portion of my salary earned. I graduated from high school in 2001, and I then analyzed my
strengths and weaknesses. What was outstanding is my high performances in mathematics
throughout high school, so I selected associates degree in Math as my study field. In retrospect,
we had study groups at University of Belize and the significant differences of students who live
in poverty, middle class and upper class were extremely visible. Nevertheless, we all worked
together and compete amongst each other regardless of class. I can recall before graduation Mr.
Caliz our best math instructor asked us individually what our future plans is. Some of my friends
mentioned they would further their education abroad. On the other hand, I applied for a job at
Custom, Immigration, Fisheries Department, several banks, sat BDF officer selection, and sat
police examination. I presently works at one of the above mention departments and went to
school as part time an obtained a Bachelor’s degree. This was not easy for me, but I always
remain true to myself and live within my means. I always kept in mind that education was my
only way out of poverty.
So what should our youths do to improve their level of education is not a hard question to
answer nor execute. Saying that, what worked for me is not the sole option, but might work for
someone who reads this article. #1 Read – I will not enumerate some of the reasons you must
read, but mention that reading develop a person knowledge and help them become an intelligent
person who can think critically. #2. Further your education- Aim high and even if you are not the
smartest person in your class try to go as far as physically possible in your studies. #3. Never
give up- The journey might be tough, but never lose hope and always strive to succeed. #4. Find
interest in an activity- For me I enjoys comedy, chess, football, and Sudoku puzzle. School
should always be the number one priority, but it should be balance. #5 Work extremely hard-
Nothing is easy in life, so work hard and believe in yourself because only so others will believe
in you. Finally, here is a favorite quote of mine from Theodore Roosevelt who once said,
“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I
have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many
people who led difficult lives and led them well.”
Written by: Jason Chavez