COLON, El Salvador – Jonathan Enrique Cruz Dubon is 23 years old and lives in Colón, one of the six municipalities of El Salvador with homicide rates above the national average over the past 10 years. Jonathan’s parents work hard to support the family, which includes his younger brother and sister. Like many of his peers, Jonathan was home alone in the afternoons after school. In the neighborhood, young people play soccer or hang out with their friends outside their homes. In this high-crime municipality, this often means that the young students are exposed to violence, might join gangs, and sometimes become the perpetrators of violence.

But Jonathan now is enrolled at the Central American University Jose Simeón Cañas, a private university, through a scholarship he obtained as a result of his high academic performance. He has been trained as a change agent and volunteer, to help other youth. And he works part time to pay for his studies. How did he avoid being pulled into gangs to arrive here?

Jonathan credits four factors for his success:

   1.   Inspiration,
   2.   Supportive parents,
   3.   Supportive teachers, and
   4.   Access to a scholarship.

His life changed during a moment in 8th grade, when a casual remark inspired him to set his sights on higher education. He overheard a young person talking about having received a scholarship to attend university. Jonathan was intrigued—he no idea that this was possible. He learned that the scholarship only was available to students with a record of outstanding academic performance. His parents could barely make ends meet, earning less than the national minimum wage ($300 per month): his father had temporary work in construction and his mother was unemployed. Jonathan knew that his parents could never afford to send him to university. So he became determined to study hard so that he could meet the criteria for the scholarship. It meant that he could not, and would not, go out to play with friends or hang out with them. He just dedicated himself to his studies.

The second factor that Jonathan credits for his success is his parents. While neither one of his parents had reached their son’s academic heights, they were very supportive. They told him: “If this is what you want to do, go for it. We will support you. We can’t pay for tuition, but we can provide some food.” They also hope that his studies will enable him to get a job that will allow him to help his parents support the family and Jonathan’s siblings.

The third factor on his road to success? His teachers. They encouraged him to study hard and supported his efforts. Out of 45 students in his grade, only Jonathan had grades good enough to qualify for the scholarship. And several of the young people in his grade have either died, are in gangs, or are pregnant now.

Receiving the scholarship allowed Jonathan to follow a path for his life that moves beyond the difficulties so many of his neighborhood peers experience. He is studying economics and is looking towards a good job that will allow him to help his family and perhaps, one day, support a family of his own.