Vinne Montabano and Katharine Gonzalez, both class
of '04, sell ice cream to raise money for their project.

Assumption Senior Takes On Unique Service Project

Worcester, MA—Katharine Gonzalez hasn’t been to Guatemala in over three years. But the soon-to-be Assumption College senior still has vivid memories of what it is like to live in poverty in the third world nation.

That’s because Katharine spent three different stints living there with friends and relatives, many of whom are uneducated and living in poverty. Katharine’s father, Carlos, was born in Guatemala and still has a house in Asuncion Mita. Carlos Gonzalez immigrated to the United States to attend Central Michigan University and has moved his family back and forth between the States and Guatemala. The goal was to have his children fully educated and fully immersed in both cultures. “My parents felt strongly about immersing me in both cultures so that I would not just be bilingual, but bicultural as well,” says Katharine.

Unfortunately, Katharine, who still has many family members and friends living in Guatemala, sees that most of them live in poverty. Over time, Katharine came to realize that her friends were poor because they were uneducated. “Poverty goes hand in hand with illiteracy,” she says. “When you don’t have an education it’s hard to break the cycle of poverty.” Seeing such inequalities made Katharine want to do something to better the situation. After taking a course with Associate Professor of Management Carol Harvey which was at that time called “Women, Diversity, & Minorities in the Workplace,” Katharine began to think up ways that she could help. One of the course topics was cultural differences in the world and why democracy hasn’t worked everywhere. All of this reminded her of the situation back in her second home. Later that semester, Katharine was studying in the d’Alzon library, and she noticed that they had a whole new computer system. Wondering what happened to the old ones, she came up with an idea to donate used computers to the Guatemalans.

The next step for Katharine was to contact her father, who put her in touch with Fundacion de la Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for Guatemalans through education. Katharine found out that they were transforming army barracks into classrooms. So she began to think about sending some computers for these new classrooms. “I feel that technology is really intertwined with having a basic education,” she says. “These days we use technology for everything.”

So with the help of her boyfriend, Vinnie Montalbano, Katharine began collecting. Very shortly, they had aquired18 computers toward her goal of 20. But Katharine also had to raise $1,500 to ship the computers to the Foundation in Guatemala. Through generous donations from the President’s Office, Campus Ministry, Sodexho food services, and fund-raisers, Katharine has raised $1,354 so far. Others on campus, like Mimi Royston and the IT department, have donated computers to the cause. Ann McCarron in the Plourde Center allowed Katharine to sell ice cream to summer campers in order to raise money. Debbie Lynch and the Reach Out Center donated a computer, printer and scanner, set up an account for collected donations. The outpouring of generosity has invigorated Katharine and empowered her in her goal to give back to her community. “My parents always encouraged me to get a good education, which I am definitely doing, and to give back to the community in some capacity,” she says. “Assumption College has truly come together as a Catholic community. I’d definitely like to further pursue opportunities in the Reach Out Center and Campus Ministry next year.”

If you would like to donate a used computer or make a cash donation, you can contact Katharine through Debbie Lynch at the Reach out center (508-767-7142).