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Ana María Romera Poveda, from Los Barrios, was one of the twenty prize winners for effort and self-improvement in this year’s Junta de Andalucia’s Compulsory Secondary Education scheme for adults.
A part time student at the Sierra Luna school of Los Barrios, 21 years old Ana María’s admirable spirit of self-improvement won her the coveted Level II prize of the 2017/2018 academic year by which the Junta recognises personal educational endeavour in the autonomous community.
The Junta itself announced that, in addition to getting top marks, this young woman obtained notable distinctions for other reasons by combining her dedication to her studies with working as a cleaner with the Los Barrios Town Council, caring for a dependent relative and helping people in need.
Not just all that but she also held the position of class representative for which she which she was unanimously elected by her peers and which, according to the Department of Education, she carried out “efficiently and for the benefit of all her colleagues.”
In addition Ana María has a baby daughter who is just over 2 years old and very much dependent on her. All her teachers have complimented Ana Maria for her excellent attitude, conduct and brilliant work.
None of this praise seems to have gone to her head though and she remains an uncomplicated , cheerful young woman who exudes optimism for her future and that of her family.
Father’s illness curtailed her schooling
As a youngster, her father’s illness removed her from her studies: “My father became ill and I wanted to be with him as much as possible. So that is what I did. Two and a half months after my 18th birthday, my father died” she says sadly.
However, as her baby’s needs for round the clock care diminished she started studying again and this time with a vengeance; “I was still nursing my daughter but it was not as frequent as before, so I decided to enroll in high school, from four to eight in the afternoons. In the morning I worked as a cleaner in the Town Hall, “she explains.
“I studied between breastfeeding my baby daughter.”
Ana María would study whenever her daughter fell asleep. “I had to make the best of my time so I studied between feeds” she says.
But, at the same time, Ana María took a nursing assistants course as an external student which she has successfully completed. The motivation: a dependent family member. “He is bedridden for life and I decided to become a nursing assistant to take care of him as best possible, although I want to go further. I want to study Nursing” she adds.
Of all the subjects, mathematics was the hardest for her and the one that he liked the most as English. In fact, she wants to continue studying the language: “I love English, I adore it. I’m going to continue studying it because I’ve always liked it.”
“The effort has been well worth it”
She confesses that she did not expect this recognition and that she could not believe it when they told her of the award: “My tutor told me he was going to put my name down. I had nothing to lose but I did not expect it. When he called to say that I had won I could hardly credit it. It means they have recognized all the effort I’ve put into my work, my daughter and my studies … It’s been worth it.”
Now she is going to start working in Asansull (the much admired La Linea association for people with special needs), a job whose obvious challenges she is looking forward to; but she is also preparing for another challenge- her driving test, which we are sure she will pass with flying colours.
