I am raising funds to help keep Mailyn, a true violin prodigy, at her university. She is starting her junior year with a 4.0 GPA. Her funds are scarce. She is a proven leader and an exceptional violinist
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Family and Friends,
In July 2016, I had the opportunity of joining 61 other people to embark on a humanitarian tour of Cuba. The experience of observing the abject poverty was overwhelming. It was juxtaposed with the warmth, acceptance, and humility of the people we were privileged to serve. Our tour included renovating a school and forays into various impoverished villages where we delivered food for families and toys and clothes for the children.
One of those older children was a vibrant, bright-eyed 13-year-old, who demonstrated that she was destined to one day make many in her island nation proud. She was very engaging socially and spiritually, but what stood out most was her phenomenal skill at playing the violin. Her skill sets were advanced for her age. When she played “Creo en Dios,” very few of us had dry eyes! The melody of that song spoke to us of the desires and longings of her people. The piece was so moving my heart desired to be the one who would try to make her dream come true.
Earlier in the week we bonded through hearty laughter as we struggled to communicate by way of my limited Spanish and her limited English. She shared her dream to one day come to the United States and study music at University. It happened that her eyes were on the University where I had completed my master’s degree two decades earlier!
By God’s wonderful grace, we have succeeded and Mailyn Iribar, a very talented and deserving young lady I met 8 years ago enters her junior year this fall at Andrews University, a private university in south western Michigan. This young lady of promise has shown through her tenacity and determination that she belongs here.
She carries a 4.0 GPA even though she works in the library 2-3 hours per day, carries each semester a full class load of at least 15 credit hours, practices her violin 4-5 hours per day, speaks daily with her mother an hour per day, when the internet is working in Cuba, and has her spiritual devotion and renewal for 90 minutes per day beginning at 5:30 am almost every morning. If that is not already a full slate, she works out several times weekly. She must stay physically fit to keep up with the demands of her program. As a proven leader, she is sought after to speak to youth groups and to play music at church services on most weekends.
Her accomplishments continue to rise. Mailyn is the first freshman to obtain a lead violin part in the storied history of Andrews University’s illustrious, renowned orchestra. This summer she was selected out of thousands of applications from around the world, to participate in an elite summer music enrichment program, in Upstate New York, for some of the most gifted high school and college musicians in the world. Only 200 are accepted each year!
Mailyn came on a prayer and a promise. She won a very competitive scholarship through the Office of the Provost which pays her tuition and fees. She greatly needs our assistance to cover the cost of her room, board, books, international health insurance, and other small fees assessed to international students. There is no funding from Cuba for this venture. Her parents and many others in her township have minimal means since the average salary in Cuba is between USD 500 and USD 700 per month. As an international student, she is not eligible for any types of loans or grants. She trusts in the generosity of people like you to gift her what we are not able to. Can you help us to allow this young violin prodigy to realize her dream? We have exhausted our means and need help to keep her in school through completing her degree.
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