Graduation 2024. Boys' Town. Augustinian Recollects. Costa Rica.

Since December 13, the beneficiaries have returned to their homes after a year full of learning and new opportunities. The Town is already preparing for the new year by opening an important offer for collaborators.

On December 11, the end-of-year celebrations began with a gala dinner at the Boys’ Town, a socio-educational project of the Augustinian Recollects in Costa Rica in which half a thousand students set their sights and expectations on a professional and dignified future, breaking the cycles of poverty through comprehensive education.

At this dinner, students in the ninth (14-15 years of age) and twelfth (17-18) years were especially entertained, which in both cases represent the end of an educational stage. In the case of twelfth graders, in addition, this ceremony serves as a final farewell to the Institution and insertion into the University or the workplace, once secondary school is completed.

The graduation ceremony took place on December 12th, which consisted of the presentation of certificates and diplomas and a thanksgiving with a Eucharist. The students, dressed in their uniforms, happily collected the diplomas that confirmed the end of their studies.

The Saint Augustine Technical School Boys’ Town in Cartago (Costa Rica) offers professional workshops in agroindustry, agriculture, cabinetmaking, electricity and industrial welding within four major technical specialties: Food Agroindustry with Livestock Technology, Electromechanics, Precision Mechanics and Repair of Light Vehicle Systems.

The ceremony, in the gymnasium and with the presence of families and friends and collaborating institutions, began with the long procession of graduates behind the banners of each of their workshops, followed by a speech by the director of the Town, the Augustinian Recollect Jesús María Ramos:

“You are the reflection of the commitment, dedication and values that will accompany you in every step you take towards the future. This achievement not only symbolizes your hours of study and sacrifice, but also the support of your families, friends and teachers, who believed in you and accompanied you on this journey.”

At that moment, the director surprised everyone by indicating that they were not his words, but those of an imaginary speech written by an artificial intelligence. And he added: “We must not face life by the easiest way, but by what is truly difficult and worthwhile. (…) The easy life will not bring you any satisfaction.”

Before handing out the diplomas accompanied by the religious community and members of the management team, the director asked that every day in the future they reaffirm the values they have learned, what the Boys’ Town has awakened in them.

The following day, December 13, the students of the Town set off for their communities of origin to rest during the holidays and celebrate the Christmas and New Year’s festivities.

For its part, the Boys’ Town has already begun an extensive recruitment campaign for professionals for the next academic year, such as accounting assistants, teachers of the different technical specialties (agribusiness, electromechanics, cabinetmaking), cooks and kitchen assistants or trainers in charge of the houses in which the pupils live.