Maria Andreina Sollom, a 26-year-old Venezuelan, has overcome significant hurdles to excel in her studies at the Government Technical Institute (GTI), paving the way for her dream of becoming a civil engineer. Sollom, who enrolled at GTI in 2021 and graduated in 2024, spoke about her journey and the challenges of adapting to a new education system, language barriers, and personal sacrifices.
“When I came to Guyana, my aim was to enter the University of Guyana (UG), but because the grading and schooling system in Venezuela is different from Guyana’s, I was sent to GTI,” she explained. With a passion for engineering, she initially wanted to study industrial engineering, having completed three years in that field in Venezuela. However, on advice from UG lecturers, she decided to pursue civil engineering, as there were more opportunities in Guyana.
