Hillary Danis

My name is Hillary, and I am the oldest of three sisters. I live alone with my sisters in Tipitapa, Nicaragua because my mother works abroad in Spain to provide for us. My family is small but very close, and we will do anything to help each other. When I was little, I lived with my father; I remember being sad and scared from an early age because I had to spend a lot of time alone at home, without companionship or supervision. From a very young age, I learned to fend for myself and figure out how to do things on my own. Thankfully, when I was twelve years old, I moved to my mother's house, and although it was sad to leave my friends from school, I was happy to finally live with my mother.

No one told me about God growing up and my family had no connection with Jesus. At age sixteen, a friend from high school invited me to a youth club in her neighborhood. Then, at Young Life camp, I accepted and received Christ in my heart; for the first time, I was able to talk to God and surrender all my sadness to Him. Around the same period, my mother also accepted Jesus into her life. I was overjoyed to have someone accompany me in that new stage of my life. God is growing me every day, and He has taught me to forgive, to love, and how to serve others.

As a Developing Global Leader, I am studying tourism and hotel administration at the University of the Americas. I love to travel and meet new people. Tourism is one of the pillars of our economy and I hope to contribute to the future of my family and country as I work in this growing field. My goal is to be able to work doing what I enjoy and carry the love of Jesus everywhere I am placed. I am the coordinator of a club in Tipitapa, and hope to continue loving on kids and pointing them to the God who loves them. I will be the first in my family to graduate from university.