Esteban Soto headshot

Esteban Soto

Class of 2026, Guatemala

Esteban Soto

Esteban is 20 years old and comes from the Petén area. He lives with his parents and three siblings. Esteban is the first member of his family to attend university. Esteban loves nature and taking care of the environment. He was greatly influenced from a young age by his uncles who grew beans and corn; he also learned to take care of poultry and cattle. Together with his family, he produced cream cheese and soft cheese to sell.

Esteban graduated from the Escuela Nacional Central de Agricultura (ENCA) in 2022 as a Perito Agronomist. As a student, he worked on a project to export green beans to the United States, which was successful and profitable. Additionally, he gave back to his community by spending two years participating in the Young Farmers Group of the El Mate Ixlú Villages, where they developed family gardens growing watermelon, pineapple, chili peppers, cilantro, chard, cucumber, and plantain.

Esteban first learned about EARTH at an educational talk given at ENCA by the EARTH admissions team.

I chose to apply to EARTH because of its educational model and philosophy, which is compatible with my values and my outlook on life. I believe in regeneration, organic farming, and sustainability in agriculture and not just focusing on profit and production but looking at the impact to the environment.”

He applied to EARTH in November 2022 and fortunately was selected for a scholarship thanks to the generosity of AGROBECA/FONAGRO. “This scholarship is a great honor for me and a recognition of the efforts of my parents, and my mother who has always urged me since I was a child to seek support and continue studying to achieve my goals.”

Esteban is successfully completing his first quarter at EARTH. He joined the volleyball, soccer, and indoor soccer clubs. The course that has excited him most so far is Natural Resource Management, though he believes he is gaining skills in many areas already. “I have learned a lot of self-discipline and to practice freedom with responsibility. My knowledge of using research laboratories has been strengthened and I would be very interested in conducting research on the topic of vegetable fodder for chickens for egg and meat production.” In the Work Experience course, Esteban is visiting a community adjacent to the University called La Alegría, where he is collaborating with macadamia and dairy farmers. He is using drone mapping of the farm to perform a soil diagnosis, as well as advising producers how to achieve Blue Flag certification in Costa Rica. In the future, Esteban wants to focus on wildlife biology and forestry development: “Petén has a lot of potential because it is a forested area. Forest use must be improved, and deforestation avoided.”

To his donors, Esteban says:

I want to thank my donors for their support. The best way to say thank you will be reflected in my daily effort and acquire the knowledge here at EARTH to return to Petén and help my community and the producers in the area. We must learn to live with the planet.”