Victor Mena
“Having now seen a Leatherback that I had no knowledge of before, I don’t want to eat turtle eggs any more, and I would like to study marine biology or something related to the ocean.”Costa Rica Student Strives for a Better Future
Victor Mena from Costa Rica lives in the rural town of Nueva Virginia, surrounded by banana plantations where most of his friends and family work. Yet Victor sees a different future for himself. He has chosen to complete high school – and not simply the neighborhood high school. Victor makes a daily commute of an hour and a half each way to attend a science and technical high school.
Victor leaves home each morning at 5:30 a.m. on bike, riding thirty minutes to a bus that will take him another hour to arrive at school. After the return trip in the afternoon, he makes it home around 6:30 or 7:00 p.m., leaving just enough time to eat dinner and begin studying.
Victor chooses to make the trip because scientific curriculum is unavailable at the local high school. When he graduates, Victor would like to continue studying biology or ecology at a university.
Victor was thrilled to work with the Leatherback sea turtles at Pacuare Reserve. He has frequently seen sea turtle eggs for sale on the black market in his hometown, yet EPI’s program was the first time he ever saw a live sea turtle. Victor was so inspired by his experience that he volunteers with the sea turtle patrols during his vacations.