Research Update #1: From Disillusionment to Determination

TLDR: I struggled to find a starting point for my project. With little support from my university partners and setbacks in securing a connection to any school, I took matters into my own hands and showed up to the nearest school, thankfully reconnecting with an old teacher who guided me to the regional education director. Although I finally obtained permission, the director’s cautious remarks about cultural barriers and failed initiatives left me with a sobering view of local challenges. Now equipped with access to schools, I’m determined to press on, despite the challenges of working within a system that might be resistant to change.

After arriving in the Dominican Republic, I wasn't sure where to start. At this stage, I wanted to go to public high schools and ask questions about their technology offerings through interviews and surveys. But my university partners were unresponsive and my dad was trying to call up folks on his million-dollar Whatsapp Rolodex of connections to see if there was an association of principals I could speak to and coming up empty.

So with no appointment or connection, I walked into the closest school nearby to propose my project and see what would happen. Turns out this was a middle school but to my luck the school's principal was my 6th grade Spanish teacher when I used to go to school here in D.R. She didn't recognize me but I recognized her, and after establishing our connection, I told her about the project. Not only did she tell me where to start (by getting the proper permission to enter schools from the regional director of education), but she also told me the schools in the area that could be candidates for my research. She also explained to me that there are two types of public schools: politécnicos and liceos. Politécnicos are specialized high schools where you can major in a career-oriented field like marketing, nursing, technology, etc. They also have a computer literacy course mandatory for all students. These schools often have an admission test, and although illegal, you won't be admitted if you don't pass the test. You may also be kicked out of one based on performance or behavior (also illegal because this is a public school obligated to serve any student of age nearby). Liceos is where you land if you can't make it into a politécnico or are kicked out of one. These schools do not offer career-advancing or technology courses, and since they can be in the evening schedule they are often the better choice for students who work, and/or have children and want to finish their high school degree. She suggested I interview two politécnicos and two liceos to compare their offerings.

With my first task at hand, I made an appointment with the regional director of our sector Marieta Diaz, and used the appointment as leverage to tell my university partners that they needed to see me before that meeting. Armed with a signed letter from them to prove our connection, the Fulbright award letter and a printed PowerPoint explaining the project, I went to my appointment excited to officially take a step in the right direction. At our meeting, my dad established a personal connection explaining that they used to go to the same church and I spoke to her about the project and how I do similar work here over the summer. Her response was neutral and a bit of a cautionary tale. She explained that she had attempted similar programming by increasing teacher salaries, training them in tech, and providing Chromebooks to students. Regrettably, the teachers took the raise but didn't do the work and the parents sold the provided Chromebooks. When she checked in she found that schools had become places of commerce instead of learning institutions where they were more interested in making the students customers of their side hustles than anything else. She said, that in this country, there is too much greed and carelessness for things like this to work and no one follows up on the initiatives that actually get off the ground. And then she said:

Honestly, this was not the first time I had gotten this sentiment about the culture here. There was something funny about the way I would mention my project to folks and they'd say 'Oh yeah you'll want to go to a politécnico to teach' as if it was impossible to want to bring this education to places that didn't already have this programming, aka liceos. The surprising part was what it was blatantly put by a government official that Dominican culture gets in the way of lifting the community. Speaking with my family and other folks I have learned that there's a boogie man led by poverty and greed that drives decisions here. For example, my dad told me that a man was approached by a car manufacturing company to start making cars in the D.R., but since he wanted a big cut and wouldn't back down, we basically lost the opportunity to build cars here, to this day!*. The attitude is so pervasive it makes its way into the homes of all, including people whose jobs are to serve their community like teachers and politicians. Think of the parent who sold the Chromebook provided by the school, maybe it was to make rent, or maybe it was just because they could. We could ask the same questions about the teachers selling Avon products at school. Overall, I was disillusioned and a bit confused that everyone had the same response. When I said 'Hey I'd like to help people' they basically said 'Good luck with that'. But I was happy to have the piece of paper that would grant me access to the schools so that I could see the vibes myself, so to speak.

A note on my university partners: Usually, when you apply for a research Fulbright, you're a college student who reached out to a professor in a foreign country with an existing lab and project. Hence why you would arrive with a to-do list ready, leaving you to only worry about cultural differences and maybe some identity crisis. This is not my case. I came up with a research project and proposed to two people I already knew at UNEV (my university) to help with it since they give me a classroom every summer to run Chicas en Tec R.D. Granted, they have the expertise to help. Karina coordinates community activities for the university like vaccine clinics, alumni talks, and workshops for women to start their own businesses. Her bestie Jovina, is the academic coordinator for the computer science department. However, this means that their schedule did not have space for me in the same way a professor already has their lab hours. What I need from them is to meet twice a week to discuss my progress and any questions I may have. They could've been the ones to guide me on who to get permission from, potential schools, and many other things I have learned along the way by rolling with the punches. I don't blame them too much, but due to their lack of commitment to my Fulbright project, I might have to find a different university willing to oversee my progress and help with all the nuances.

*Take this story with a grain of salt, but he has a car repair shop that has been open for 25 years, was president of the mechanics association of Santiago, gets called to events with suppliers and manufacturers of vehicle parts and accessories, as well as tickets to car conferences in Las Vegas, so I'd like to think he would know.