Álvaro has worked with SIT Nicaragua since 2008. He studied computer science at the National University of Engineering and has taken courses in accounting and community security. A regular presence in the study center during office hours, Álvaro is available to accompany students to their homes in the evenings and to help students with taxis and other security measures. He may be called on to accompany students to their homes on weekend nights.

Affectionately known to the students as “Mamita,” Petrona works with María Teresa to coordinate homestay families. A longtime resident and community leader in Colonia Máximo Jérez, Petrona networks with neighborhood security committees and other neighborhood initiatives. She regularly visits the homestay families and students and monitors access to the study center on weekends and hours.

María Teresa has worked with SIT Nicaragua since she finished her university studies in 2004. She has a BA in international tourism and administration and is currently doing an MBA. She has taken postgraduate courses in English, computers, and sustainable tourism. María Teresa works out of the study center, which is located in the homestay neighborhood of Colonia Máximo Jérez. She participated in an SIT homestay coordinators’ workshop in Chile and coordinates all of the homestay activities with the program’s homestay coordinator.