Ixchely Saloj: Leading through Resilience and Education

Have you ever felt that everything you experienced had a greater purpose? Ixchely has. Today, as an English educator at MAIA, she is turning her story into a source of inspiration for many Indigenous women who, like her, grow up facing challenges and barriers, yet also dream of a different future.

Ixchely is a young Indigenous woman determined to build the future of her dreams. Her educational journey was not easy. From an early age, she knew that access to quality education was not a guarantee, but a constant struggle. “My school life was challenging,” she says, recalling how she had to face a lack of resources and inadequate vocational guidance. Even so, she kept studying, driven by the desire to thrive and change her story.

That desire led her to discover a new version of herself in the US Embassy’s Access program. As a trilingual woman (Spanish, Kaqchikel, and English) now, she began to develop leadership, teamwork, and critical-thinking skills. “It was a turning point,” she says. Through education, Ixchely discovered not only a professional opportunity, but also a cause she is passionate about: transforming the lives of more Indigenous girls and women through education that truly empowers.

The path to shaping the future she dreams of has not been easy. Studying and working at the same time was a challenge. Between academic responsibilities, work, and tight schedules, “I was surviving the best way as I could,” Ixchely recalls. But it was also a time of profound learning, where she understood that “the dreams of those of us who come from rural backgrounds require twice the effort, and yet they are still possible.”