From Honduras to Texas, With Love

Dallas (SMU) – The eldest of four children, Jennifer Pérez grew up in Tela, on Honduras’ Caribbean coast, near a popular botanical garden and nature preserve. Like many of her peers, she dreamed of going to college in the United States, 但遇到了障碍——复杂的大学申请程序, academic preparation and tuition.

虽然她的母亲是律师，她的继父是工程师, 他们的职业在洪都拉斯并不像在美国那么有利可图.

“We don’t have a bad life in Honduras,” Jenn says. “Everything we have is because my parents work hard.”

5月18日，周六，詹妮弗的大学梦就要实现了. That’s when she will graduate from SMU Cox School of Business with her BBA in accounting. Through hard work and perseverance, she earned her degree, 但如果不是五年前在洪都拉斯的一次决定性会议, 珍妮弗可能永远没有机会证明自己.

17岁时，詹妮弗·帕姆雷斯遇到了达拉斯居民、新大校友格雷迪·施莱尔, who was volunteering in Tela, Honduras with his wife, Mary Elizabeth. 詹妮弗在那里的双语教会走读学校上学, Espiritu Santo, 和施莱尔的达拉斯教堂有合作关系, Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. That’s where 格雷迪 met several young students, including Jennifer, and was impressed with her enthusiasm, joy and desire to attend college in the United States. 他回忆起和詹妮弗谈论她实现梦想的路上所遇到的挑战.

“在洪都拉斯这样一个经济糟糕的国家，很难有一份好工作和更高的生活水平,” Jennifer says. “Few jobs are available, and even if one has a job, 这永远都不够，因为洪都拉斯的暴力让我们无法过上满意的生活.”

“在洪都拉斯这样一个经济糟糕的国家，很难有一份好工作和更高的生活水平,” Jennifer says. “Few jobs are available, and even if one has a job, 这永远都不够，因为洪都拉斯的暴力让我们无法过上满意的生活.”

格雷迪知道他不可能帮助每一个圣埃斯皮里图的学生, 但他从2014届毕业生的致辞中感受到了潜力. 2014年2月的一个晚上，他邀请妻子和他一起在特拉岛的海滩上散步. The conversation that followed was a stunner.

他说:“我想邀请我在特拉认识的一个学生和我们一起住在达拉斯。. “在她准备申请美国大学的时候，她可以和我们一起度过间隔年.S.”

The Schleiers, a retired Dallas couple with two grown sons, 在过去的12年里一直在洪都拉斯北部小镇的教堂做志愿者. Married to Mary Elizabeth for 34 years, 这是格雷迪第一次和他的妻子分享一个长期的目标——改变一个人的生活. Mary Elizabeth agreed to meet Jennifer Pérez.

“How do you say no to changing someone’s life?” she says. 在和詹妮弗一起做了一天的志愿者之后，玛丽·伊丽莎白同意了. “I fell in love with her.”

Jennifer instantly said, “是的,” when 格雷迪 invited her to move to Dallas, and her parents later agreed, after a tearful conversation.

詹妮弗的母亲罗莎·埃斯皮纳尔说:“作为一个母亲，我一直都很有保护意识. “让女儿和我根本不认识的人在一起，我的心情很复杂. 我也知道，如果我说不，我可能会关闭她的机会和成功之门. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made.”

After an eight-month wait to obtain a student visa, 2014年10月，詹妮弗和她的母亲飞往达拉斯, 詹妮弗是达拉斯乌尔苏拉学院的非学分国际学生吗, a Catholic girls’ school. In Honduras, high school ends at the end of 11th grade.

“I adapted pretty easily,” Jennifer says. “我想念妈妈亲手做的玉米饼和虾饭, but I loved Ursuline and the Schleiers,” she says.

施莱尔的儿子们最初认为他们的父母疯了.

然而现在，汤米和威尔·施莱尔说詹妮弗是他们最喜欢的兄弟姐妹. 玛丽·伊丽莎白为詹妮弗画的柔软的油画肖像装饰着他们的家, 詹妮弗从贴在冰箱上的全家福圣诞贺卡中露出微笑. 格雷迪, a CPA and retired financial executive, 对詹妮弗在会计方面的成功感到自豪.

For the Schleiers, 家里有一个17岁的学生意味着又要早起拼车，还要在餐桌上做作业. 但听詹妮弗的演讲也带来了对中美洲生活挑战的新理解.

格雷迪说:“詹妮弗给了我们另一个棱镜，让我们可以通过它来观察世界。.

Jennifer’s 2015 gap year in the United States paid off. 在继续和施莱尔一家住在一起的同时，珍妮弗进入了社区大学. Her biological father is a U.S. Jennifer于2016年获得了自己的公民身份. 她做服务员来支付社区大学的学费，并给家里寄钱. After completing community college, she applied to several public universities, as well as the Schleier’s alma mater – SMU. 格雷迪 Schleier holds a Master of Business Administration 玛丽·伊丽莎白是新加坡管理大学考克斯商学院的教授 Master of Fine Arts from SMU Meadows School of the Arts.

新大提供荣誉转学奖学金，其中包括成绩优异的社区大学转校生学费半价, sealed the deal. 2017年，Jennifer进入新大考克斯学院(Cox School)学习，结交了朋友, challenges and valuable career advice.

“我在转学生注册时遇到了我最好的朋友. I’ve found a community of friends who are like me, the children of parents who work hard, 那些不把获得新加坡管理大学学位的机会视为理所当然的人，那些明白人生并非一帆风顺的人.”

“新大的课程非常具有挑战性，”珍妮弗说. “因为尴尬，我差点失去奖学金 to ask for help.”

But when she asked for help from her Cox adviser, career adviser and the Schleiers, she found her footing.

“Jennifer is purposeful and intentional,” says Katherine Hearty, 考克斯商学院会计专业的职业顾问. “She has great energy.”

Jennifer’s gap year stretched into five years, 一个大学学位和一段将持续一生的感情.

“When we invited Jennifer to live with us, 我以为她会在这里待九个月然后去别的地方上大学,” 格雷迪 says. “Her relationship with us just happened naturally. 现在，当我想到长期计划时，我想到的是我们全家——汤米、威尔和詹妮弗.

他说:“我知道，当她生活中发生重要事情时，我们不是第一个打电话给她的人。. “But we’re the second phone call.”

On May 18, 詹妮弗的洪都拉斯家人将和她在达拉斯的寄宿家庭一起庆祝她的毕业典礼和新工作.

“It’s not enough just to say thank you. I’m truly grateful to everyone who helped me. I hope someday I can give it back.”

After Jennifer graduates, 她计划拿到注册会计师证书，然后搬到一套公寓里，让她的弟弟妹妹们也能享受到施莱尔夫妇为她提供的美国教育机会. 毫无疑问，她的生活轨迹发生了巨大的变化.

但珍妮弗·帕萨雷兹的生活并不是唯一发生变化的人.

“It’s a joy to hear her voice singing around the house,” says Mary Elizabeth, 谁喜欢和詹妮弗一起在厨房里跟着摩城的金曲跳舞. “I always wanted a daughter. Now I have one.”

From Honduras to Texas, With Love

虽然她的母亲是律师，她的继父是工程师, 他们的职业在洪都拉斯并不像在美国那么有利可图.

“We don’t have a bad life in Honduras,” Jenn says. “Everything we have is because my parents work hard.”

“在洪都拉斯这样一个经济糟糕的国家，很难有一份好工作和更高的生活水平,” Jennifer says. “Few jobs are available, and even if one has a job, 这永远都不够，因为洪都拉斯的暴力让我们无法过上满意的生活.”

他说:“我想邀请我在特拉认识的一个学生和我们一起住在达拉斯。. “在她准备申请美国大学的时候，她可以和我们一起度过间隔年.S.”

“How do you say no to changing someone’s life?” she says. 在和詹妮弗一起做了一天的志愿者之后，玛丽·伊丽莎白同意了. “I fell in love with her.”

Jennifer instantly said, “是的,” when 格雷迪 invited her to move to Dallas, and her parents later agreed, after a tearful conversation.

“I adapted pretty easily,” Jennifer says. “我想念妈妈亲手做的玉米饼和虾饭, but I loved Ursuline and the Schleiers,” she says.

施莱尔的儿子们最初认为他们的父母疯了.

For the Schleiers, 家里有一个17岁的学生意味着又要早起拼车，还要在餐桌上做作业. 但听詹妮弗的演讲也带来了对中美洲生活挑战的新理解.

格雷迪说:“詹妮弗给了我们另一个棱镜，让我们可以通过它来观察世界。.

“我在转学生注册时遇到了我最好的朋友. I’ve found a community of friends who are like me, the children of parents who work hard, 那些不把获得新加坡管理大学学位的机会视为理所当然的人，那些明白人生并非一帆风顺的人.”

“新大的课程非常具有挑战性，”珍妮弗说. “因为尴尬，我差点失去奖学金 to ask for help.”

But when she asked for help from her Cox adviser, career adviser and the Schleiers, she found her footing.

“Jennifer is purposeful and intentional,” says Katherine Hearty, 考克斯商学院会计专业的职业顾问. “She has great energy.”

Jennifer’s gap year stretched into five years, 一个大学学位和一段将持续一生的感情.

他说:“我知道，当她生活中发生重要事情时，我们不是第一个打电话给她的人。. “But we’re the second phone call.”

On May 18, 詹妮弗的洪都拉斯家人将和她在达拉斯的寄宿家庭一起庆祝她的毕业典礼和新工作.