Ana Altagracia

My name is Ana and my childhood was beautiful; my parents always tried to teach me in the best way to go. I live in a suburb of the capital city of the Dominican Republic. One of the adversities that shaped me as a young girl was my shyness and how that prevented me from having close relationships. During my adolescence my mother left the country for work for a number of years and my father was away for work daily. This resulted in leaving me to care for my younger sister; I often felt alone but also see where God developed a nurturing spirit in me during that time.

I heard about the love of God and became a Christian at summer camp during high school. The catalyst for this change was my experience on a work team who served with incredible joy. Seeing this helped me come to understand the love of Jesus because I was so impacted by their actions. I later connected with Young Life through a great friend, who became my leader. She encouraged me and impacted me with her lifestyle and helped me grow in confidence and become more outgoing.

Now a Developing Global Leader, I am studying medicine at the Technological University of Santiago. My main objective is to persevere and work hard to graduate. As a part of the DGL program, I want to grow as a leader and share my love for Jesus with others. I will be the first in my family to graduate from university.