When Reyna first joined OYE as a volunteer in 2019, she was 19 years old and looking for a way to contribute to her community. She never imagined that OYE would become a place where she would discover her strengths, develop her talents, and build a path toward a career. Founded and led by young people, OYE helps youth stay on track with their education through scholarships and opportunities to build confidence, leadership, and practical skills. For Reyna, those opportunities became a foundation for discovering her passion for graphic design and discovering new possibilities for her future.
Reyna’s path was not a linear one. After initially receiving an OYE scholarship to study law in 2020, safety concerns prevented her from continuing her studies. She remained engaged with OYE and began developing her skills in graphic design, eventually becoming the coordinator of OYE’s graphic design skill-building program. In that role, she put her creativity to work while supporting other young people as they developed their own skills. Then, in 2023, at age 23, Reyna received a scholarship, funded through a PriceSmart Foundation grant to OYE, to pursue a two-year technical university degree in commercial graphic design. It was a chance to turn a growing passion into a formal area of study.
Starting a new academic path came with uncertainty. Reyna worried about whether she would be able to keep up, but the experiences she had gained through OYE had already given her more than technical skills. As she shares in the attached video, through volunteering, extracurricular activities, her work with other young people, and the support of peers and mentors, she had developed the confidence to take on new challenges. Reyna has since then, completed her degree at the top of her class, including a paid internship at CLIC, OYE’s graphic design social enterprise. After graduation, Reyna successfully entered the workplace, by joining CLIC in January 2026 as its lead graphic designer, where she continues to be employed.
Today, Reyna is building a career in the field she discovered through her journey with OYE. From volunteering as a teenager to supporting other young people, excelling in her studies, gaining professional experience, and becoming a lead graphic designer, her story shows how sustained opportunities to learn, contribute, and connect can help young people turn uncertainty into a path forward. Looking ahead, Reyna hopes to open a graphic design academy in her community, creating opportunities for other young people to discover their own talents and possibilities.
