Ilay is a high school student in Advance Panama. She heard about Advance Panama’s reputation for creating champions and boldly approached us to mentor her and help her study at a school that teaches science. The only option is over an hour away, down the dangerous mountains. The public school system has abandoned adequate math and science teaching for the past 40 years, thus ensnaring generations of students to remain stuck in the cycle of poverty. Ilay is no longer a statistic. Now, as an aspiring biologist, Ilay is following her dreams and is excelling in AP.  Her parents have an elementary school education and make $15 a day. Ilay will be the first in her family tree to both graduate high school and go to college.