Today we had the opportunity to learn about the Dominican Republic’s history and specifically Bonao’s history and Bonao’s development over time.. During our walking tour of the city when we stopped at La Voz del Yuna museum we were surprised to learn that Bonao has the first ever radio station. Perhaps the biggest surprise came when we met two local legends, who are figures of Duarte Park, that have been shinning shoes there for the last 35 and 50 years, respectively. This was surprising because these two men have afforded themselves a comfortable living, and were able to put their kids through college with the earnings from this job. We now see why they are such inspirational figures because they exemplify that no matter what job you do, if you are dedicated and hardworking you can be successful too.

I’m proud of myself and my partners because we were able to meet and have strong engagement with our local youth ambassadors, who are local youth who volunteer to spend time sharing their culture and knowledge with our Glimpsers. The most inspirational person we met today was Felix, one of the shoe shiners. Today being a Program Coordinator and modeling how a leader of the day is expected to guide the group by demonstrating their responsibilities, I hope it helped encourage students to take risks. It was a role I enjoyed and I realized that I also enjoy being a positive role model for them. We have some great Glimpsers on this trip! Stay tuned for more updates tomorrow.