My name is Hilary Flores and I’m 19 years old. I started coming to FundaVida six years ago. When I first went, I didn’t know anything about life or what I wanted to do with it. When I turned 12, my father started having problems with his family and we had to get away from them. So we came to Linda Vista to live with my grandmother. We had to start from scratch.

Coming to FundaVida became something very important in my life, because I took a robotics course and I simply loved it. I even participated in the national robotics championship. We won! I was able to compete against other children from Latin America. It was a great experience for me and that is why I am now studying electronics. I firmly believe that my career choice is due to that first contact I had with technology, thanks to FundaVida.

When my grandfather died, I was very sad. I felt that there was no one who really cared about me. When the staff of FundaVida came to my house that day, it made me feel really loved. They are always there for me, I am sure that I can send a text message, call or send an email at any time and they will respond. That means a lot to me. I really love them.

When someone asks about FundaVida, I say that they did not give me food or clothes, but they gave me something more meaningful. They gave me tools to grow and succeed in life. That’s what they do for so many children and teenagers.