Students in the ESCALEX graduating class received their certificates last Thursday at the Politécnico de Formación Integral Cigar Family in Bonao, Dominican Republic. The ceremony brought together parents, teachers, and local community members to celebrate the graduates as they completed a major stage of their education.
The graduation marked more than two decades of educational and community development work in the region. What began through the commitment of the Fuente and Newman families to surrounding communities has expanded over 20 years into a lasting institution providing new facilities, services, and educational opportunities across generations.
In 2020, the Fundación Humo de Amor and the Ministry of Education formalised a co-management agreement that integrated the polytechnic into the Dominican public education system. Under the arrangement, the state maintains its statutory responsibilities while the private social initiative continues contributing long-established capabilities to deliver free, public, and inclusive instruction.
Community Facilities and Educational Staff
During a tour of the school, long-serving teachers Maritza, who has worked at the facility for 24 years, and Josefa, who has taught there for more than 20 years, detailed the project's evolution. Administrative director Sergio also guided a visit through the center's dedicated arts area and an outdoor amphitheater.
The author noted a pending commitment to return to the center to deliver a lecture and speak directly with students in the amphitheater. The facility's structure is illustrated by two facing interior walls: one displays an organizational chart linking Regional Directorate 16, Educational District 16-06, the Fundación Humo de Amor, and the polytechnic itself.
A facing wall outlines the school's mission, vision, and core values, which include respect, responsibility, solidarity, tolerance, dedication, commitment, trust, and teamwork. A commemorative photograph taken during the morning captured Marleni and the author alongside Carlitos Fuente and Ciro Cascella, surrounded by graduating students, families, and community members.
The ESCALEX Meaning and Corporate Responsibility
The graduating class chose the name ESCALEX, which signifies scaling, climbing, and reaching a new step. The author observed that while talent is distributed across all Dominican fields, neighborhoods, and municipalities, access to educational and economic opportunities remains uneven across the country.
The author stated that a just society must provide an educational ladder so that a child's birthplace or family financial status does not predetermine their future. Such a system relies on effective schools, passionate educators such as Maritza and Josefa, administrative leaders like Sergio who emphasize art and ideas, and sufficient opportunities for young people to study and work.
The piece highlighted a broader model of corporate social responsibility, noting that businesses contribute by investing, producing, innovating, paying taxes, and generating jobs. Companies leave a deeper impact when they recognize a shared destiny with their local territory and collaborate with public institutions, families, and local communities.
Future Role of Graduates
Looking ahead, graduates of the ESCALEX class are set to become teachers, entrepreneurs, professionals, public servants, and parents. The author expressed hope that former students will eventually return to their community to assist subsequent generations in climbing the same ladder.
The author concluded that national progress depends on each generation inheriting a higher ladder and holding it steady for those who follow, closing with a call to work for what unites the country.
