Written by Eva Gabourel in August 2015

Once upon a time, there was a young girl who got good grades and loved school because she enjoyed learning and she had a lot of friends there. None of her friends knew that she was poor because she always had her books, she always wore a neatly ironed uniform, she was always on time to school, and she was always the top student of her class.
Nobody knew that her parents struggled to make ends meet and that registration, books and uniforms were paid for using money from either luckily winning the lottery or from a well-paid job that her father who was a mechanic got to do at the last minute. None of her friends knew that she would never invite them to her home because she was ashamed that the roof leaked when it rained and some of the floor boards were rotten and you had to be careful how you walked on them.
This little girl had a mother who would do anything for her 3 children. She would go hungry if it meant her kids got to eat. Her mother was a housewife but she would bake and sell cakes if it meant making money to make sure her daughters got an education and that her mentally disabled and epileptic son had his medication. The little girl learned to love and appreciate God and to always trust in Him because her mother taught her that God really does answers prayers and that people who strive to always treat others with love and respect are always blessed.
On her graduation from primary school, the little girl could not get a new dress or a new pair of shoes because her parents could not afford it. The mother altered one of her own dresses for her daughter to use and luckily her daughter had big feet and the mother’s shoes could fit her too. The mother was so pleased of her accomplishments and that her beloved daughter would have something to wear for graduation after all. The little girl could not bear to tell her mother that she thought the dress was ugly and would be embarrassed to be seen in it. Instead, she just never took off her graduation gown for the pictures that were taken after the ceremony.
When the little girl went to high school, her living situation remained the same and maybe even got worse, but again, nobody ever knew. Her father drank a little too much and people hardly took their cars for him to fix anymore because he took too long to complete the jobs. She continued to do well in school. She kept on studying hard and she was always thankful to God and for her parents who tried their best to make sure she had an education. Then, when she was in third form and only 15 years old, tragedy unexpectedly struck. Her mother died suddenly. The young girl and her sister were devastated. All their lives their mother had been their rock and she did everything for them; cooked meals, cleaned their rooms, combed their hair, helped with homework – anything you can think of. The girls were forced to do all this on their own, it was a tough time. The young girl kept getting good grades, she did if for herself but she was even more determined to do it for her mother, her mother had always told her how she hoped and wished she would be the valedictorian of her high school.
Then 9 months later, tragedy struck yet again. The young girl, still 15 years old lost her younger sister. She died of a broken heart they say, a heart attack at 12 years old because she could not get over losing their mother. The young girl was devastated beyond words but with the help of her friends and especially God, she got through the toughest time in her life. She was not sure how, but she remained strong and she kept doing great in school. She graduated as valedictorian of her high school, just as her mother had wished and as she too had worked so hard for all her life.
Because she was the valedictorian, she got a full scholarship to go to sixth form. She continued to excel in her studies there. Ever since she was a kid she had thought that she wanted to become a teacher when she grew up but during internship at sixth form she had the opportunity to teach a few classes at a local high school and figured out that teaching was not what she wanted to do after all. She didn’t know at all what she was going to be since that didn’t work out but she did not get discouraged. After graduation she got a job as a receptionist, then moved on to being an accounts clerk, then a personal assistant and today she is a logistics coordinator at the only producing oil company in Belize. And she is happy with her life and where she is today. She misses her mom and her sister but she has learned that life goes on and that life has still been good to her regardless of her trials and tribulations. She financially takes care of her father who is now 77 years old and her older mentally disabled brother. She has a lot of godchildren, but still no children of her own. She is thankful to God every day for her life and for her blessings.
That young girl is me.
So what is the moral of my story?
To work hard
To pray hard, and to never question the will of God
To go after what you want with passion and with determination and always believe that it will be given to you
To always be grateful and appreciative of those you love, no matter how long or how short you have with them
To always know what your values are and to live up to them
To enjoy life, and to treasure the happy moments, the fun moments, the good moments
To cry when you need to but to never ever let your past define who are because dwelling on the past and worrying about what could have been ruins your present and your future
To always know that you are soooo much more than you think you are capable of
You cannot change the past you can only learn from it so you have to let it go and treasure the wonderful memories and embrace the challenges of the future
My personal values were and still are (in no particular order): God, excellence, gratitude, love, friendship, family, honesty, kindness, humility, and laughter.

Testimonial by Eva Gabourel: My Little “Success” Story
I LOVE Sacred Heart! ♥ ♥

Written March 22 2012
Hey Everyone!
I attended SHC from 1997 – 2001. My major was Business. I thoroughly enjoyed my 4 years at SHC! It was some of the best years of my life. Ever since I was in primary school I had no doubt that SHC was where I wanted to attend high school. My parents wanted that for me and I wanted that for me. SHC was and still is in my mind the most prestigious High School in Cayo.
It was quite an Academic Experience! I had some of the BEST teachers! I don’t want to miss anyone out but I’d be remiss if I didn’t call some names. Mrs. Melba Velasquez, Mrs. Karen Waight, Mrs. Debbie Martinez, Mr. Alfredo Mai, Mr. Ainsley Ferguson, Mrs. Lucy Salazar, Mrs. Bridgett O’Brien, Mrs. Bertha Morales, Mr. Julio Llinas, Mr. Dean Lewis, Mr. Leonard Mangar.
All of these remarkable individuals were instrumental and making sure my time at SHC was supreme. They are born teachers and their methods were such that it was FUN to learn. Their courses were well planned and well taught and they pushed you to be the best you could be. Their interest in each student was genuine and not just a job they were paid to do. They always inspired students to excel. This encouraged competition among students which in turn resulted in us students giving it our best and we had LOTS of intelligent students in my bunch.
I was the Valedictorian of my 2001 Graduating Class. A feat of which I am very proud! I lost my mother at the beginning of 3rd form and my little sister at the end of it. I didn’t know how I was ever going to get through it but the teachers above and all my other teachers were there to support me and make sure I did not drop off in my studies. I owe them a great deal in my success. I believed in me and they believed in me and I wanted the top honor so much that I fought for it by studying and making sure all the work I submitted was the best of me.
Apart from the great education, it is also at Sacred Heart College that I met some of my very best friends. We are still BFF’s to this day. We had the best of times at SHC. The campus was so spacious and conducive to great picnic lunches on the well kept lawns or on the available picnic tables. I remember some of the great food the cafeteria had at the time and I remember the very popular Johnny cakes with fried chicken!
In third form it was bittersweet to realize that pretty soon, in another year, I would be graduating and climbing up the education ladder but I would be losing my SHC Family. I’d have to run off to maybe St. John’s Junior College to pursue my Associate Degree because it was “the best”. I was dreading it because I did not fancy the idea of traveling to or staying in “scary” Belize City. I’ve always thought of Belize City that way. I wished I had another option. Then lo and behold Sacred Heart Junior College was born! This was exciting news for me. There was NO DOUBT in my mind that this was the Junior College I wanted to attend. What perfect timing.
Sacred Heart Junior College awarded me a full two-year scholarship in recognition of my “outstanding performance” at Sacred Heart High School. I majored in International Business. This too would be two of the best years of my life so far! The educational journey at Sacred Heart Junior College was excellent, innovative, creative and fun! I’m SURE that the knowledge I gained there was exceptional. It truly has shaped me to be the successful professional I am today. Again, I had the good fortune of being taught by some great lecturers. And again, I’d be remiss if I did not call some names. Mr. Fermin Magaña, Mr. Daniel Gutierez, Ms. Minerva Pinelo, Mr. Gertudez Velasquez, Ms Eufemia Usher, Mr. Les Johnstone.
SHJC prepares a student for the employment sector. Their internship program for second year students was extremely helpful in this preparation. SHJC gives students a strong background which one of the most pivotal factors for success. I consider myself to be a successful person who of course is still growing and improving and I know that my time at SHC and SHJC have much to do with this. Through SHJC I was offered a scholarship to Mexico which I declined because of personal reasons. I could have taken other opportunities as well however I was at a point where I felt I had to get a job and make some money first before I furthered my studies.
I did my internship at St. Ignatius Highschool (part time teaching and secretarial work) and I was offered a job when I graduated. I stayed there for only a short while as I got an offer from the Development Finance Corporation. I knew that there was much room for growth there. I worked at DFC for about 11 months and then I was offered a job by a businessman who I had met a few times at DFC. He told me that he was very impressed with my attitude and work ethic and that he could see that I would be a great asset for his private business. I worked at Maya Foods of Belize for a couple years and I had experience in secretarial work, sales and accounting. I developed a passion for accounting and I took an accounting post with Ionia Ltd (Blancaneaux Lodge – Turtle Inn – La Lancha). Finally, I got an even better offer with Belize Natural Energy as Fleet Coordinator. I have been working at BNE since 2007 and I am now Product Logistics Supervisor.
I am now at a point where I am ready to continue my studies and I only wish that Sacred Heart would over a Bachelor’s Degree in Business. It would be a no-brainer that this is where I would pursue my degree. Hint Hint! 😛

Outlier Peak Experience by Eva Gabourel

Written in April 2014
As soon as Marlon and Carlos sent an email and posted a flier about the Outlier Peak trip I was interested in going. I had missed the one in 2011 because I had other plans at the time and I had always wanted to do it. The invitation came at a time when I was more than ready for an outdoor adventure. I just love doing intense outdoor adventure-type activities in Belize!
The night before the hike I realized I was only going to get 4 hours of sleep because I had to be up at 2:30 a.m. if I was supposed to leave at 3:30 a.m. and be down at the Cockscomb Visitor Center for 6:30 a.m. As luck would have it, I was as excited as a kid going on her first school trip and sleep eluded me.
I can’t tell what time I fell asleep but the last time I checked it was 12:30 a.m. Still, I jumped up at the sound of my alarm and was ready in record time. My peanut butter and jam sandwiches were already made since the night before, snacks were packed, as well as water and Gatorade. I even had time to pack a small icebox with extra water and a few extra bottles of Gatorade.
I picked up Loany and Denis at 3:45 a.m. on April 12, 2014and by the time I dropped off my dad’s fat free, salt free food it was almost 4:00 a.m.
We met Marlon, Kenny and Edwin in Belmopan at 4:30 a.m. after we picked up Milton at the Belmopan Junction.
From there it was non-stop to the Maya Center where we turned off the highway unto a dirt road that would lead us to the base of the hike. We had told Carlos we would be there for 6:30 a.m. and we were very punctual. He thought we might not show up on time or not show up at all and he was not ready until 7:00 a.m.
After a few photos together, we left at 7:10 a.m. on our journey to the top of Outlier Peak. There were eleven of us in the group and only three of us were females. It started off well enough as we walked straight, flat terrain for exactly an hour before it was time to veer off onto the actual outlier hike.

As it turns out, there were a couple areas where the path was not clear so the guys had to clear it for a few feet. Two members of the group had machetes. As soon as we started going uphill I was regretting bringing so much stuff in my backpack.
When I set off with my heavy bag I was sure I would need everything in there, and I convinced myself it would get lighter as we went along as I started drinking water and eating the snacks.
I had six peanut butter and jam sandwiches – I wanted to have extras in case anyone was hungry. I had 3 litres of water and 1 bottle of Gatorade. I had a first aid kit which consisted of BandAids, ibuprofen, nail clipper, cotton balls, lip balm, sun block cream, hand sanitizer, q-tips, moleskin, 5-hour energy drinks and muscle rub. I also had pringles, chocolates, candy, 4 bananas and 2 apples.
I also had Ziploc bags for phones in case it started raining. Then I had to have an extra pair of shorts, a top and a raincoat – all light weight of course!
Marlon offered to carry my bag as he was not carrying anything but I could not have that. I must be a “macho” girl but there’s no way I would be OK with myself if I had to have a guy help with my bag. I carried it in the first place so I needed to see it through. Plus I liked the extra challenge of doing the hike with a heavy backpack.
After the third hour of the hike, I started feeling how tough it was. It was predominantly uphill with a lot of steep inclines. The bag felt super heavy and I had to drink a lot of water to keep hydrated. Thankfully it was not a very unbearable heat. The jungle canopy provided enough shade. I was dreading the dangerous parts I was anticipating in my head. I remember when we were climbing the Victoria Peak there were parts where if you made a wrong step you could fall to your death if you were not careful. Thankfully there were only two such parts on the Outlier Hike. And the guys were well prepared with ropes to make it easier to climb. Everybody crossed it without incident.
The guys in the lead did play a horrible joke by throwing down a huge rock and pretending it was a person. Loany was ready to do a rescue operation. Another sick joke a couple of them did to me was to say “Tiger” in an anxious voice and I jumped all three times. Funny, very funny!
There was one “trick peak” when I thought we had already made it but then I was told to peep over and look up beyond the brushes. Yup, we still had higher to go!

But the view as we went higher kept getting more breath taking every time there was a clearing so it was good motivation.
When I got to the peak around 11:15 a.m., behind the first group, they were all sitting down with snacks out but I thought it was just another trick peak. It was not what I was expected, because the path ended rather abruptly. I really thought they were messing with me and it was not the peak. Turns out it was and the view was just stunning!
Of course I had my phone and took loads of pictures of the view, of the others and quite a bit of “selfies”. I also did some funny videos. I had two of my sandwiches and gave away four, I shared the chocolates and pringles and candy. I shared the extra bananas and one of the apples. Denis borrowed my phone and took even more “selfies” than I did – I almost thought it was his phone when I went through the photos.
We spent about 45 minutes at the top of the Outlier Peak and then we started the 4 hour journey back down. It was a relief on the legs to not have to climb as much hills but the constant downhill took a toll on the toes as they pushed on the front of our shoes. At least my backpack was a lot lighter!
The trip down was very entertaining with the guys swinging on trees like tarzan and we even had a re-enactment of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” by Denis.
By the time we got to the flat that part would take an hour before we got to the base where we started, I was so tired that I was not looking forward to the long walk. It was sheer mental power that got me to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. I did not feel the need to pee the entire time until now but I decided I’d wait to use a proper bathroom. The 4 km felt like it would never end! As soon as we got there I put slippers on and raced to the bathroom. My legs felt like they were not my own but it felt absolutely awesome to have made it!
The best part about the whole hike was doing it with a group who had great camaraderie and who looked out for each other. I felt a sense of tremendous accomplishment for finishing the hike without injury and without having to surrender my backpack to one of the guys!

This was shared with me in September 2011 by my friend L. Leslie whose father penned these words to her…

“Let your mirror be your harshest critic… from now on, don’t look for shoulders to cry on, provide those shoulders; don’t seek friends, family or acquaintances to understand; show them how to believe in the new you, to love, appreciate and imitate your strength, resolve, and intelligence – and do act intelligently from now on. The past is behind you, the present should define you, the future beckons with open arms – your choice (and the choice of all women – and men) is to decide to be the essential you and improve on it; not to become what others expect of you … they have their lives to live, their mistakes to make, their becoming to become … that’s their business. Your business is to be you.”

Back to School!

Written by Eva Gabourel on March 6 2015

I graduated from Sacred Heart Junior College in 2003 and decided to take a break to get professional experience and make money by seeking employment. Getting my first job and successfully climbing the ladder to a better job each time, progressively, gave me independence and financial liberty so I kept putting school on the back burner. My life got busier and busier as I immersed myself in several community outreach initiatives and soon there were not enough hours in my day, much less time for school, or so I thought.
Finally at the start of August 2014, I saw a Facebook post from Galen University offering a hybrid online Bachelor Degree program in Business Administration. I decided to take the bull by the horn and signed up for classes, which started at the end of August.
As soon as I started, I felt like giving up. My first course was Algebra and it was extremely challenging to say the least. Continuing school after having been out for 10 years took some getting used to. I felt I could not concentrate or focus like I used to and I had no passion for looking for the alphabet in a pool of numbers (that’s what algebra felt like). On top of that, my classes were from 6 pm to 9 pm one night per week and from 9 am to 4 pm on Saturdays. I’m naturally a morning person so having to put my thinking cap on at night was initially very challenging. I finally figured out that a cup of coffee taken just at the start of my class really made a difference. By the end of the second class the proverbial Stella had gotten her groove back. Doing classes online was another aspect that took some adapting to. It’s very different than what I have been accustomed to my whole life, because sometimes I don’t get to meet the teacher or know what they look like. The only medium of interaction is via chat or email and course books are e-books which I loathe. For me there is nothing better than an actual physical book to hold.
I’ll be the first to admit that it is tough to have a full time job and go to school and also manage family life. I don’t have kids but I have other familial obligations and I am part of a very active charity as well as part of the Board of one of San Ignacio’s largest high schools. It sometimes feels like a balancing act and it gets overwhelming at times but this is something I really want to get done so I’m sticking with it. There is no doubt that having an education is important; not only for salary share but also for personal development, exposure, knowledge, practise and empowerment.
My advice to other females who would like to continue their education but are reluctant to do so for whatever reason is simply to just do it. Better to get it done as soon as you can than to regret it later on. Better to make sacrifices now than to wait for a time when life is less complicated, it might never be. Better to get it done now and start living the life you have imagined. It gets hard at times, but read more, focus and commit more, ask for help. The rewards are immeasurable. Vincent Lombardi said, “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”
Do it for yourself because you deserve it and you sure are worth it!

Why are you here?

Written by Eva Gabourel on April 23, 2015
If you are not happy here, if it gives you no pleasure doing your job, if you don’t feel the least bit inclined to do anything extra, if you constantly feel like complaining about the place you work and the people you work with…then why are you here?
It sounds like you are just here for a paycheck. If you are not happy here, why settle? Life is composed of minutes and hours, days and years. Of the 24 hours in a day, we spend at least 9 hours at work, about 6 hours asleep, and at least 1 hour commuting to and from work. If we don’t spend time doing anything else (like running errands, going to school, socializing), that leaves us about 8 hours at home or with our family. Most people spend more hours at work than they do at home.
Isn’t life meant to be enjoyed? Shouldn’t you at least enjoy the thing you spend most of your time doing? Why are you here? Life is too short to not do something you love or are at least passionate about.
There are some people who take things (or people) for granted. They don’t appreciate what they have until it’s too late. They don’t miss the water until the well runs dry. They don’t participate in life, yet they expect that life should be good to them and then have the audacity to be bitter and miserable when life and opportunities seem to pass them by.
We work for a good company. A company with lots of benefits. A company that is way better in a lot of ways than many other companies you could be working for. Sure, companies have rules. But the rules serve a purpose. They are for transparency and for the protection of people. If we choose to work here and if it benefits us to work here, why can’t we follow the company’s rules? Why is it so difficult? Surely at home there are ways and manners in which you like things kept and done. Why do you have this privilege, but not the company? Sure there are people who do questionable things but such is life and such are people. You will not always find people who think and feel the same way you do. And that is natural. So why not try this: stop worrying about other people, stop comparing your story with theirs. Worry about yourself and your productivity. If you keep worrying about others, it drains you and it leaves you less time to worry about yourself. Instead, focus on being the best person that you can be. Unlock your own potential and keep exploiting it, there is no greater reward than self-accomplishment. Let the company worry about these non-performers.
By that same token, the Company is responsible for the gardening. A successful company must be the good gardener. If it gives employees the opportunity to grow and shine, which it does by hiring them in the first place, then it needs to be reaping a blossoming garden and fruit patch. Sure there will be weeds, even in nature’s garden of people. The company should ensure that weeds be removed so that the beautiful flowers and flourishing fruits are not adversely affected by these weeds; so that the good garden could keep getting better and better. To put it bluntly, the company should fire people who are not productive and who are not willing to be present, who are not willing to participate, who are not willing to contribute, who show no sign of “extraness”, who lack pride in the company, who don’t strive to maintain the company’s high standards, who assume that standards set themselves and who fail to realize that the people are responsible for it. The company should fire those who sleep at their jobs, who don’t produce superior work, who don’t speak words of appreciation and positivity about the company, who steal, who lie, who cheat, who lack pride in the company, who undermine the success of others and of the company.
Our company gives us a lot of opportunities. Perhaps one of the most important is the opportunity of self discovery. A lot of people have been on an Educo seminar and while each person has a different experience than the other, there is no doubt that it allows you to draw out your own potential from within. If you went on the seminar and feel that you learned nothing then you simply did not want to learn.
Personally, while I feel like some of the things taught on the seminar were things I already knew or was already doing to some extent, the seminar brought out, polished, improved and expanded my potential. It definitely improved my self confidence. I was always driven by excellence but now I have confidence that I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to, even the things I have never though of doing before, even things I don’t think I like or am good at. I can do anything, I can be anything. With every fiber of my being I feel that life is to be enjoyed, to be lived, to be experienced! Everyday is a new beginning and there is opportunity at every corner. Our company provides us with so many opportunities. Opportunities that allow us to grow, to shine, to excel to learn. Opportunities that allow us to exercise and improve our bodies and minds. I don’t understand why people are not eager and enthusiastically seizing these opportunities.
I love being involved in committees and activities. It allows me to learn, to grow, to be creative. It allows me to work along with others and share ideas. It allows me to inspire and to be inspired. It allows me to expand my horizons. It allows me to give back to my company for being good to me. Recently, HR sent out an internal vacancy advertisement for firefighters. While I had never thought about being a firefighter before (probably because the torpedoes of mindsets, limitations, and expectations were blocking it), I suddenly had a great desire to apply for one of the vacant posts. I thought of all I would be able to learn, of how I can leave my mark and become a great firefighter, of how I can be an asset to the team, of how I could contribute to the success of the fire team and of course I thought of how cool it will be to tell my kids or godchildren one day that I was a firefighter. Then I thought, “Gosh! Where else would I be given this opportunity? I just have to take it!” I thought it would be silly not to. I decided not to worry about what anyone might say or if anyone would question my decision, I thought only of what it meant to me. I had seeds of doubt but they were not stronger than my resolve to apply, so I called on Walter and Paul who are a part of the fire team and without any hesitation they told me that they thought I could do it. Sometimes we need someone to have confidence in us so that we can have confidence in ourselves. Then I thought “Man, I work with some pretty amazing people who are just so supportive and who want to see you succeed”.
I am very happy working here, and I am happy to work with many of the people here. And I really enjoy doing things I feel will be a benefit to my coworkers. And there is no greater reward than having people smile with you or genuinely seem happy to see you or to say hello to you. Even better, when people tell you that you have inspired them in some way. One of my coworkers recently told me that she admires the way I am. When I asked what she meant. She said “When you have something to do, you don’t care about who’s doing their part or who’s not, you just get it done. And you think of everything!” She was referring to a little activity our EHS subcommittee had organized, ‘Do the Denmark”. Something as simple as bringing extra water and chocolate in case someone needed or forgot theirs, was so thoughtful she said. In truth, I had not even thought about this being anything special, it just had to be done. But it felt pretty good that something so easy and natural about me was noticed. It was reassurance that I am being exactly the person I have always aspired to be.
To be compared to Princess Diana, in terms of my personality and character, by my boss during an appraisal was funny to me but also touching. How could he know that she has always been someone I’ve admired? I’m definitely on the right path to self discovery and my company gives me the opportunity to do it. And that is why I am happy and proud to be here.
I’ve shared a bit of my journey and my story with you. What’s yours? Why are you here?

This is just the beginning of my legacy to the world.  Positivity, inspiration and self development are a few of the things I intend to share.

Stay tuned…