Project Belize 2011 participants share their stories

Rachel Smith

An Intern in Tax with the Financial Services group in Milwaukee, WI, and recent graduate from Marquette University earning a BS degree with majors in Accounting and Spanish for Business Professionals.

On first sight of the application email to Project Belize, I jumped at the chance to serve abroad. As I quickly glanced through the document, the words "community service," "corporate responsibility," and "international" stood out to me. These were all things that interested me, and as a Spanish double major who loves to travel, I filled out the application as soon as possible.

From the pictures on the PwC US firm's website, I thought we would be renovating schools or building playgrounds, similar to the other mission trips I had been on. As I found out more about the project, I was excited to learn that we would be leading financial literacy camps. I was even more excited for a couple reasons. First, I was unsure about how I would be able to continue my interest in service working at a public accounting firm. What a perfect opportunity to use my skill set to make a difference in the lives of others. Second, I believe education is an important key to development and success. How wonderful to reach out to youth in Belize. I like that we're here to share experiences and knowledge among one another so that we all may walk away better people. The ideas and feelings that will be shared can last a lifetime and then also shared with others.

Even though I had read the orientation material, I wasn't exactly sure what would happen when I arrived. Not only did I feel completely welcome in Belize, but I also felt inspired. At the opening ceremony, St. Luke's choir and thirteen-year-old soloist, Shawn Saldano , greeted us in energetic song. They proudly sang the national anthems of Belize, "Welcome to Belize," and "Beautiful Belize." Not only were their voices and harmonies beautifully blended, but the enthusiasm and pride that came from these young people were impressive. During the ceremony, there were many remarks of thanks, welcome, and friendship. I could perceive the relationships that had been built over the last several years through this project. How powerful to see people come together to help others and come away with new, lasting friendships.

So as we embark on the first day of camp, I'm excited to meet the students with whom we will share the next three days! I'm hopeful, inspired, and eager to learn from them.

Rachel Smith

An Intern in Tax with the Financial Services group in Milwaukee, WI, and recent graduate from Marquette University earning a BS degree with majors in Accounting and Spanish for Business Professionals.

Day Two = Success! I was assigned to the Scholarship Mentoring Track where 39 Belizean students were matched with 15 PwC US firm representatives to explore careers and financial literacy. I am especially excited to work with these students because they have already demonstrated an interest in school and achieving more for themselves. I think it is great that the PwC US firm has committed to these children, because they are the future of Belize.

For most of the activities, we broke up into smaller groups to facilitate discussion. In these small groups, I got to know my students, Keeden, Cambriel, Chelsea, and Christian, much better. After initial introductions, the students interviewed the PwC US team about their jobs, the education requirements and how they work in teams.

At first, the students were timid, but by lunch they had warmed up to us and asked all kinds of questions. Some activities we worked with them on include how to manage money, manage a credit card, and create a budget. Discussing credit cards, in particular, was actually quite exciting because it was the first time they eagerly stepped up to participate and I was impressed by how much they knew already.

This experience is already life changing. The PwC US firm's corporate responsibility goals of building relationships and leaving a lasting impression are exactly in line with my personal and professional goals. We are not giving a hand out, but enhancing a community and teaching transferrable, lifelong skills.

Rachel Smith

An Intern in Tax with the Financial Services group in Milwaukee, WI, and recent graduate from Marquette University earning a BS degree with majors in Accounting and Spanish for Business Professionals.

Today, the students and staff loaded onto the rickety, yellow school bus for a fieldtrip to the Belize Bank and the University of Belize (UB) to engage in a practical application of some of the concepts we taught in the classroom. Once at the Belize Bank, the Branch Manager, who is also the mother of two boys in our group, spoke about several of the relevant services the bank provides including savings, credit cards, and consumer loans as well as took us on a tour of the Bank. To reinforce the value of saving even small amounts of money, one of the Bank Officers told the students that if they gave up one soda a day, they could save $2 per day and at the end of high school they would have almost $3,000 BZ - enough to pay for their first year at University.

The second stop of the day was a classroom building at UB. An admissions officer discussed the requirements for acceptance and what kinds of courses the students should study for particular careers, like taking biology classes in order to become a Doctor. Then, a representative from the Ministry of Education presented some scholarship opportunities to the students. Then one of the professors at UB gave his personal account of working hard to achieve goals and even earning Masters and Doctorate degrees in the United States. I was so impressed by the poised behavior of the children and the intelligent questions they asked throughout the presentation.

In the afternoon, we held a competition to review what we had learned in the morning. The children definitely love games and competing. Before the game began, each team created a team name and flag. My favorite was the team: Go Unstoppable Pirates! Arrgh!

Between working together in the competition, lunch, and college application activity, I felt the team grow closer and the bonds grow tighter. In addition to the educational goals of the eight students in my small group, I also learned about their families, their favorite hobbies, and their dreams. For example, one energetic girl named Chelsea wants to study law at the University of West Indies in Jamaica and then come back to Belize as a female politician.

I have greatly enjoyed getting to know these kids and sharing experiences back and forth. I hope that we have exposed them to some new opportunities and that they will carry forward the ideas and lessons into the future.

Rachel Smith

An Intern in Tax with the Financial Services group in Milwaukee, WI, and recent graduate from Marquette University earning a BS degree with majors in Accounting and Spanish for Business Professionals.

Some of the most rewarding experiences happened today. First thing in the morning, we took a tour of our site, Technical Vocational Education & Training school (ITVET). After exploring the active cosmetology lab, the mock hotel rooms for hospitality certificates, the auto shop, and the computer lab, one of the students named Adrian said to me that he “didn't know schools like that existed”. I asked him if any of the programs interested him and he responded enthusiastically that he liked the electrical training rooms and wanted to go to school there. I was so excited that our curriculum actually had broadened horizons and raised awareness as we had hoped it would.

In the afternoon, we conducted exit interviews with the students in small groups. My partner, Kristina, and I acted out mock interviews and demonstrated both good and bad behaviors. Hopefully they will be able to stand out from their peers with these interview skills when they compete for scholarships, college admission and jobs. After we were finished laughing, the kids took turns interviewing with me outside in the courtyard. I asked each of them an individual question, such as: How do you plan to perform service in your community? What is one of your financial goals? Their responses were genuine and enlightening.

It was during the three tours and the exit interviews that I was most proud of the Belizean students, the PwC US volunteers, and the program in general. I think the kids learned valuable skills and lessons that will benefit them long into the future. The learning, coupled with the affection and appreciation they showed after only a handful of days, was truly rewarding. The good-byes were difficult, but the students promised to email me and we exchanged notes in the back of our workbooks - almost as if they were yearbooks.

Rachel Smith

An Intern in Tax with the Financial Services group in Milwaukee, WI, and recent graduate from Marquette University earning a BS degree with majors in Accounting and Spanish for Business Professionals.

Back at my desk in Milwaukee, I took some time to reflect on the past week in Belize. I think the kids on the Scholarship Track really understood and appreciated the lessons about budgeting, university, scholarships and credit. I feel good about the work that we did and the impression that we made on the community. Education is a gift that can be multiplied, so I hope that the knowledge and awareness we shared will spread through schools and families across the country.

I think it is incredible that PwC US invested in another global community by sending 200 partners, principals and staff - including 100 interns who had only been with the firm for a mere four weeks - to Belize. Since there were a large number of PwC US interns this summer, I feel very fortunate to have been selected to participate in Project Belize, especially on the Scholarship Track.

Since the PwC US group was divided into so many different smaller groups for teaching, debriefing, dinners and recording, we were able to meet many new people. I am impressed how quickly and genuinely the various groups from all over the country bonded. The friendliness and respect exhibited by everyone is a tribute to the firm. A member of the planning team accurately said that on this project, “hierarchy goes out the window and we come together to do the best job possible.”

In our final debrief, one of the discussions focused on thoughts or ideas that PwC US staff would take back to their respective offices. Some people shared that they would make commitments to serve in their own communities or raise awareness. In college, I often wondered how I could continue helping others as an accountant, while many of my friends were joining the Peace Corps or similar organizations. It brings me joy to have found a way to use my talents and skills to serve the world. Whether it was intended or not, I think this project reminded us all how important it is to give back in our own communities. We encouraged the students, but they encouraged us back to continue serving and giving our time. Thank you to all of the PwC US staff, planning team members, Peacework, the Ministry of Education in Belize and, most importantly, the Belizean students for making Project Belize an unbelievably successful experience that I will never forget.