ACECEN is pleased to share with you how the students in the Christian schools, despite their rough circumstances in life, stand out all throughout their education, even into college. This story is about Keysi Gonzalez, a previous student of the Colegio Filadelfia in Ciudad Sandino.

Keysi Johanna Gonzalez Valle is 21 years old and a graduate of UNICIT – Universidad Iberoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnologia, currently working on a double degree in Law and Administration.

Keysi attended Colegio Filadelfia from preschool until high school. Her mom was the director of the school and helped Keysi continue her education at the school by investing in Keysi’s learning. Keysi had good teachers in elementary school at Colegio Filadelfia that also invested in her learning to the point that she could understand the concepts with certainty. Keysi recalled that the teachers at Colegio Filadelfia really cared about the education of the students and their walk with God.

Colegio Filadelfia and its teachers taught Keysi about God. She learned about God through the devotions and Bible stories and was encouraged to be able to face the challenges of life. She said, “I learned values of integrity, respect, love, and forgiveness.”

Colegio Filadelfia not only taught her the principles of education and the Bible, but also showed her what they looked like when Keysi lost her mother. In 2007, Keysi’s mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor and Keysi was the only one who could take care of her. Keysi had to miss school, but fortunately she was not disconnected from the community. The pastor of the church Iglesia Filadelfia, and the teachers and students of the school raised money and lifted prayers to support Keysi’s family. Despite the fact that this situation was incredibly painful for her and her family, the community’s kindness brought Keysi through to say, “the love of God is so big that I have learned that He never forsakes us and is always with us.”

Keysi graduated high school from Colegio Filadelfia and in 2011 she started college at UNICIT. She gives all of the credit to the hard work of her teachers at Colegio Filadelfia of the fact that she can face new challenges without fear. Since the death of Keysi’s mom, her dad has taken over the position of director at Colegio Filadelfia and Keysi works at the school as the academic secretary. Keysi says, “what motivates me to move forward is to see the life of the kids that have been transformed by the gospel and to prepare them with the knowledge they need to become excellent professionals that will serve their nation with the values of the Kingdom of God.”

Keysi’s story shows what a blessing Christian education can be in a community.