Educational achievement of hope and opportunity for 135 Latin American graduates in Milan and Genoa 

On 7th and 8th September, 135 Latin American students obtained the Diploma of the Republic of Ecuador at the Irfeyal Fe y Alegrìa Institute in Milan and Genoa. This qualification is equivalent to a secondary school diploma in Italy and thus opens up new opportunities for these students in the educational and professional world. 

The group of Fe y Alegrìa graduates is composed of people of different nationalities and age groups, united by a desire for personal and professional growth and improvement. The graduates include Peruvians, Ecuadorians, Salvadorans, Venezolans, Colombians and Chileans, and all have shown great commitment, spirit of sacrifice and determination, overcoming not only geographical and language barriers, but also personal ones.   

‘I feel happy and proud for this achievement, for myself and for my family, who have placed so much hope in me,’ said an emotional Britney Ramos, a 20-year-old who came to Italy alone in search of a better future. Grateful for the opportunity to study and for the bonds of friendship forged along the way, Britney expressed her desire to continue her studies in Political Science in Italy. 

The ceremony in Milan was attended by important institutional representatives: Ana Teresa Lecaros Terry, Consul General of Peru in Milan, Valentina López, Consular Agent of the Consulate General of Ecuador in Milan, Diana de Marchi, Milan City Councillor and Florin Silaghi SJ, representative of Fe y Alegría Italia. 

The ceremony in Genoa was attended by distinguished consular representatives from several countries, including the Consul of Ecuador, Minister Oscar Izquierdo, the Consul of Peru, Minister Carlos Tavera, and the Consul of the Dominican Republic, Nelson Carela Luna. The occasion was also attended by local authorities such as Simohamed Kaabour, City Councillor, Stefania Mazzucchelli, Vice-President of the Municipality II Centro Ovest, Father Juan Alberto Ramos, Representative of the Ecuadorian community in Genoa, and Manuel Aragundi, City Councillor of Sampierdarena. 

‘We are proud to celebrate this milestone and encourage our graduates to continue their journey towards personal and community development. This graduation represents not only the end of an educational journey, but the beginning of new opportunities for each of them,’ said Lic. Kessia Chamba, Administrative Coordinator of the IRFEYAL Institute of Fe y Alegría Milan.  

 ‘Our commitment doesn’t end here: we will continue to support and accompany our students on their path to success, working to expand the educational and professional opportunities we can offer,’ adds Prof. Mercy Mera. 

Florin Silaghi SJ emphasised the importance of the collaboration that made this result possible: ‘All this is the result of a great teamwork, between Irfeyal Ecuador, the Jesuit Education Foundation, the Leone XIII Institute, which hosts our activities in Milan, the diplomatic missions, the Milan City Council and the Municipio Centro Ovest of Genoa’.  

Fe y Alegría, a Popular Education and Social Promotion Movement, promoted by the Society of Jesus, operates in 22 countries. In Italy, it is present with the Fe y Alegría Italia network, which includes three cooperatives: Fe y Alegría Milan, Fe y Alegría Genoa and Fe y Alegría Rome.