A Discussion with Analy Paredes Camas, Student and Loyola Scholarship Recipient, Rafael Landívar University, Guatemala City, Guatemala
With: Analy Paredes Camas Berkley Center Profile
June 4, 2015
Background: As part of the Education and Social Justice
Project, in June 2015 student Nicolas Lake interviewed Analy Paredes Camas, a
Loyola Scholarship recipient at Rafael Landívar University (Universidad Rafael
Landívar), a Jesuit institution in Guatemala City, Guatemala. In this interview, Paredes Camas explains the scholarship, the opportunities
it has provided her, and her thoughts on social issues in Guatemala.
What do you study here at the university?
I’m in Psychology, but my focus is in clinical work, especially with patients. I also work in primary education, with little kids who are 3 years old. I’m trying to make positive changes in their lives.
Can you talk about your scholarship?
Yeah, my scholarship comes from the university and my high school; there are 26 different people with my same scholarship, the Loyola Scholarship. It’s a scholarship given out to students of Catholic high schools, focusing on comprehensive training and leadership with values, which I like. The scholarship covers 50 percent of my matriculation fees.
Do you think this scholarship is an act of charity by the university or an act of social justice?
Well, I think the scholarship opens doors and makes it so that the students can project themselves and reach their potential in the different fields or topics that interest them. It’s both an act of charity and social justice: the justice because it allows you to get higher education, but also in some cases it can be charity. They complement each other.
Can you describe a normal day for you?
Sure, I work as a teacher at a preschool from 7:00 a.m. in the morning until 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon. Then, I go home and eat lunch and do some homework. Around 5:00 p.m. I come here to take my classes and stay until 9:00 p.m.
What requirements do you have to keep the scholarship? Do you have to work as a teacher?
No, I work as a teacher because I like it. The only requirements we have are to keep our grades above a certain level, and then every year we have to do something different. For instance, the first year we have to join a club on campus, so I joined the salsa club. The next year we have to get involved with a spiritual activity.
Have you taken any classes related to social justice or ones that have an emphasis on reflection or critical analysis of social issues?
Yes, in high school the majority of classes I took had that focus on critical analysis, especially a philosophy class I took. It’s the same thing here at the university. The scholarship has a large focus on those values, because being a scholarship recipient means having the opportunity to project yourself and your beliefs.
Is there anything you wish you could change about the scholarship?
For me, the only this is that I don’t have enough time. There’s just not enough in a day. There are tons of fun and beautiful activities, but my time is limited, so I guess if I could I’d have a little more time. I thought about not working as a teacher this year, only studying, but they’ve given me the option to work and study. Being employed and studying is a good opportunity, and I like having something established every morning, so that at 8:00 a.m. I’m always teaching.
As a female student at an elite university, have you experienced machismo?
At the university, no, I don’t think there is machismo. But in society, yes, there’s a lot of machismo. There’s machismo within families, in that men limit what the women in their lives can do. The husband can work and the wife has to stay in the house. Or, if they both work, then the wife needs to prepare dinner when they get home and are both tired. The husband is the one who talks and decides and makes the rules.
Do you think that discrimination exists at the university or in larger society?
Again, I don’t think discrimination exists in the university. I haven’t seen any. But, in general Guatemala certainly has a problem of discrimination. There’s discrimination against indigenous people in that there isn’t much acceptance. We’re humans; we have the same values.
Do you think it’s something that the government can help or that comes from the government?
I think that yes, they can help. The indigenous live in isolated towns, they don’t have access to education, and there starts the discrimination. They don’t have the same rights that the rest of the people have. There are different institutions that can eliminate that discrimination.
I’m in Psychology, but my focus is in clinical work, especially with patients. I also work in primary education, with little kids who are 3 years old. I’m trying to make positive changes in their lives.
Can you talk about your scholarship?
Yeah, my scholarship comes from the university and my high school; there are 26 different people with my same scholarship, the Loyola Scholarship. It’s a scholarship given out to students of Catholic high schools, focusing on comprehensive training and leadership with values, which I like. The scholarship covers 50 percent of my matriculation fees.
Do you think this scholarship is an act of charity by the university or an act of social justice?
Well, I think the scholarship opens doors and makes it so that the students can project themselves and reach their potential in the different fields or topics that interest them. It’s both an act of charity and social justice: the justice because it allows you to get higher education, but also in some cases it can be charity. They complement each other.
Can you describe a normal day for you?
Sure, I work as a teacher at a preschool from 7:00 a.m. in the morning until 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon. Then, I go home and eat lunch and do some homework. Around 5:00 p.m. I come here to take my classes and stay until 9:00 p.m.
What requirements do you have to keep the scholarship? Do you have to work as a teacher?
No, I work as a teacher because I like it. The only requirements we have are to keep our grades above a certain level, and then every year we have to do something different. For instance, the first year we have to join a club on campus, so I joined the salsa club. The next year we have to get involved with a spiritual activity.
Have you taken any classes related to social justice or ones that have an emphasis on reflection or critical analysis of social issues?
Yes, in high school the majority of classes I took had that focus on critical analysis, especially a philosophy class I took. It’s the same thing here at the university. The scholarship has a large focus on those values, because being a scholarship recipient means having the opportunity to project yourself and your beliefs.
Is there anything you wish you could change about the scholarship?
For me, the only this is that I don’t have enough time. There’s just not enough in a day. There are tons of fun and beautiful activities, but my time is limited, so I guess if I could I’d have a little more time. I thought about not working as a teacher this year, only studying, but they’ve given me the option to work and study. Being employed and studying is a good opportunity, and I like having something established every morning, so that at 8:00 a.m. I’m always teaching.
As a female student at an elite university, have you experienced machismo?
At the university, no, I don’t think there is machismo. But in society, yes, there’s a lot of machismo. There’s machismo within families, in that men limit what the women in their lives can do. The husband can work and the wife has to stay in the house. Or, if they both work, then the wife needs to prepare dinner when they get home and are both tired. The husband is the one who talks and decides and makes the rules.
Do you think that discrimination exists at the university or in larger society?
Again, I don’t think discrimination exists in the university. I haven’t seen any. But, in general Guatemala certainly has a problem of discrimination. There’s discrimination against indigenous people in that there isn’t much acceptance. We’re humans; we have the same values.
Do you think it’s something that the government can help or that comes from the government?
I think that yes, they can help. The indigenous live in isolated towns, they don’t have access to education, and there starts the discrimination. They don’t have the same rights that the rest of the people have. There are different institutions that can eliminate that discrimination.
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