The Monarch Effect Foundation received official charitable status in Mexico just over a year ago. The Foundation was founded by Elizabeth and Alberto Fernandez, Lisa Heid and Eric Parizek with the support of Martin Waldbaum specifically to help high-potential Mexican high-school students to get a world class university education. Students in Mexico face the reality that an expensive university education is outside the realm of possibility for most as there are no low interest loans available for students in Mexico. The Monarch Effect Foundation helps to bridge this gap.

But an equally important challenge for these high-potential students is that most have never travelled outside of Mexico or lived away from their families. As a result, one of the very important roles that the Foundation offers is a two-semester college prep course for qualified students who may to supported by the organization in the future. Unlike most college prep programs in the United States or Canada, this is not academic preparation as much as it is life preparation for going away to college to country with a different culture, a different language, and no friends or family. Held three Wednesday afternoons a month in a classroom at Picacho McGregor School on the corridor and taught by volunteers from a variety of professions the course covers a wide range of subjects including: Academic Excellence; Community Engagement and Leadership; Career Exploration and Mentorship; Practical LIfe Skills (time management and personal development) and a Graduation Segment including a final video project.

I recently attended one of the sessions on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. It was led by both Nico, a current second year Foundation student at an international business school in London and Joaquin, a lawyer and father of one of the other student’s currently being supported. The team leaders presented an informative PowerPoint with great examples from everyday life and even held a negotiation exercise to demonstrate how to negotiate to a win-win solution. A dozen students from five different high schools in Los Cabos have enrolled in this program. The content was very good, the participation of the students excellent and the potential to learn and practice new skills and important part of the two hours.

The Monarch Effect Foundation is currently working with 21 students both those support at university now and high school students preparing for their future. Students in London, Paris, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and mainland Mexico hold peer-to-peer mentoring sessions with current high school students identified for support. The combination of college prep and peer-to-peer mentor is hoped to truly prepare students to travel for a great university education.

The student support by the Foundation and their families also commit to give back through mentoring, volunteering, speaking, internship programs and more.