Hola! My name is Darina Herrera. I am from the Dominican Republic, specifically from a little town between the mountains called Jarabacoa. I graduated high school last June and decided to take a gap year and volunteer as a Prek3 Teacher Assistant at the school were I graduated from, Doulos Discovery School.  Although this is not always the most glamorous job, I know God has been working on my heart now more than ever before.

My dream is to be able to enroll in college and major in Special Education. There is a big need for Special Ed teachers in the Dominican Republic and I want to help close that gap. The Special Education program is not very developed in the D.R, so in order to get a quality education for this career I need to attend a school in the United States. How could you help me accomplish this? Great question! As an international student a lot of the scholarships do not apply to me, neither am I allowed to take out loans. However, with the few scholarships that I have received and grants I am missing 12,500 to pay for my first year of college. This is where you come in! If 50 people can donate $250 before May 1st, then I will have everything I need for the first year! If 50 people give $125, then I will have what I need for the first semester!

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So there you have it! Mini sessions will take place on Saturday, May 7 just outside of First Baptist Church of Groveport (5521 Groveport Rd.) beginning at 8:00 AM and extending through the early afternoon. If you’re single or don’t need any new family portraits taken, but would still like to be involved, I’d be happy to shoot a few professional head shots of you, or you can just choose to donate! To book your time slot, send me an email at michelle@michellejoyphoto.com! I’m so excited for this and hope you’ll take the chance to be a part of it! 🙂