Derek Pujols - Orphan, 3 years old

Derek is a sweet and fun-loving resident of the Dominica Orphanage. The Catholic Church brought Derek to Dominica in 2021. Many emergency cases of orphans needing care come first to the Church, which will then refer children to Dominica if they need more support than the Church can provide. It is still unknown who Derek’s father is, and his mother is serving prison time, unable to care for her three children.

Derek was one of the students most excited to meet the DSOSF staff, and he especially loves getting his picture taken.

Cedano - Student, 4 years old

Cedano is one of the children who relies most heavily on the support of the Dominica School and Orphanage. His mother lost a battle with sickle cell anemia—a condition far more common in the Dominican Republic than the U.S.—after contracting Covid in 2021. Less common, though, is the story of Cedano’s father, a 26-year-old member of the La Ureña community who himself was an orphan at the DSO.

Cedano is one of three children, and his father would not be able to support his family without the school. This is especially true given Cedano’s chronic health issues; it has yet to be determined whether these are related to sickle cell like his mother. Dominica describes Cedano as a “quiet but loving soul.”

Angel Cena Cortez - Orphan, 3 years old

Angel was another case referred to Dominica by the local church, as he was abandoned by his parents. He is currently working with two psychologists from the nearby Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo—they visit bi-monthly to provide volunteer assessments and care for some of the orphans struggling with trauma, as well as personality and learning disorders. Angel is one of roughly 75 students profiled by these psychologists.

Children who are abandoned, like Angel, typically require special attention as they can develop unhealthy outlooks on the world. Emotional distress can even take time to manifest as children age. In his case, Angel does not speak, and therefore he struggles to communicate his needs to adults and he will often ignore instruction. With the help of the volunteer psychologists, however, he has become more sociable and he is making excellent progress in school. Without the DSO, Angel’s mental and physical health would not be what it is today.

Alumni Spotlight — Paola Patricia

Paola Patricia was in the DSO graduating class of 2011. She lived in the orphanage of the DSO for most of her childhood and adolescence. During high school, she was able to visit the USA through an arrangement with a sister school in Maryland. She has been working as a consultant for the World Bank in the education sector since 2019. Her job involves implementation of the World Bank’s program to support education in the Dominican Republic.

Featured Student — Anabelys Beltrain Castillo

Anabelys Beltrain Castillo is a 15 year old senior who lives in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with her mother and her little sister.  She loves writing in both Spanish and English, especially about human behavior and relationships.  

Anabelys says that this is a story about a child who gets excited by the smallest thing—who reacts vividly to small details.  He is an adventurer, not because he has breakfast on the Amazon River, but because he turns everything into an adventure.

Read Anabelys’ story, The Little Adventurer, here.

Teacher Profile — Evis Volquez

Evis Volquez a math teacher who has been teaching at the DSO for 15 years. The students love her classes. She is always available to give extra help to the students who find the course work difficult. Evis is member of the board of teachers. She is a breast cancer survivor and is married to Mr. Suero, another teacher at the DSO, and they have with three children.