Recruiting The ITA recruitment begins with a national awareness campaign through notices to public school directors and mailings to top high school seniors throughout the country. Former students have proven to be leading advocates for the program, aware of the tremendous impact it makes on student lives, families and community. As word has spread, interest in the program has grown. There is far greater demand from qualified applicants than there are available funds.
Luis García went from hauling goods on his back in a market in Baja Verapaz to a semester abroad at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid.
Application and interviews ITA students, like all students at UFM, are expected to be top performers academically. ITA candidates follow the same procedure as any other applicant: they take the same entrance exams and go through the same initial interview process. Once qualified candidates have been identified, a subsequent series of interviews assesses strength of character and ability to overcome challenges. The admissions committee recognizes that, as these students are transformed, they will have the potential go on to become leaders in the community, the country, and even the world. This is why, in the interview process, special emphasis is placed on what committee members describe as the "fire, passion and commitment" of the candidate.
Andrés Marroquín (left) was the first ITA scholar. He holds a doctorate in economics from George Mason University, and divides his time between UFM and Ashesi University in Ghana
Final selection The most difficult phase is determining which of those among the many qualified applicants will be admitted. It is an agonizing process, in which the selection of the person for the final slot is sometimes so close that it comes down to the equivalent of a flip of the coin.
Indeed, one year, the School of Economic Sciences had funding for only five ITAs. After much discussion and several repeat interviews, the fifth position remained a dead heat. Both candidates—a woman and a man—were equally qualified: academically, emotionally, and in commitment. In the end, Sonia Enríquez got the spot, leaving all on the admissions committee heart sick over the "sixth" candidate. As word quietly spread, the older ITA students and ITA graduates decided to adopt the "sixth" ITA. They managed to pool and raise enough money to get Alejandro Cardona through the first year. In 2007, Alejandro got a regular slot and is now an ITA scholar with a 91 grade point average.
