José Emerson Añapa De La Cruz

José Emerson Añapa De La Cruz

I was born in Santo Domingo De Los Tsachilás, Ecuador. After High School, I studied Agronomy at Unidad Educativa Fiscomisional Santa Maria de los Cayapas, and was the National Standard Bearer.

I have five siblings. My parents are from Esmeraldas, Canton Eloy Alfaro**. They work daily to be able to provide for our family. They do not have permanent jobs, and yet they work different jobs every day.

I currently live in Pomasqui - Quito at the Fraternity Santa María Del Paraíso. My goal coming here was to make the effort to get a higher education. Here I have learned to live in a community, caring for each other,  sharing our resources, helping each other, supporting each other, practicing solidarity.

Spots are limited at the public Universities in Pomasqui and I am waiting for my chance to prove myself and for an open spot. I don’t have the resources to study at a private university but I will not give up until I reach my goal to become a professional.

*The fiscomisional educational institutions are those private law educational establishments that have government support to provide an educational service complementary to that of the Ecuadorian State; These depend technically, administratively and financially on a promoter, non-profit, missionary or secular entity, which assumes directly or indirectly and under its responsibility, the costs of creating and operating the educational institution.

These institutions must guarantee that their service is provided free of charge, at least, for all the students that belong to it and that are part of the 40% of the population with the lowest income.

**Canton Eloy Alfaro is a canton of Ecuador, part of the province of Esmeraldas. Its population at the 2001 census was 33,403.

Ethnic groups as of the Ecuadorian census of 2010:Afro-Ecuadorian 64.1%, Indigenous 16.8%, Mestizo 14.6%, White 3.4%