OYE Podcast gives voice to the young graduates of Centro de Esperanza Infantil, A.C., a nonprofit supported by Oaxaca Youth Empowerment that has spent 25 years helping children and young adults in Oaxaca, Mexico stay in school and build a future.
Each episode is a conversation with a graduate — doctors, artists, architects, engineers, nurses — who share how they overcame poverty, family hardship, and doubt to finish their degrees. They talk openly about the challenges they faced along the way, the people who supported them, and what they'd tell the next generation of Oaxacan youth chasing the
The Patient Nobody Came For: Sara & Danna's Story | OYE Podcast, Chapter 5
🎙️ This is it — the final episode of Season 1 of OYE Podcast, the series created by Oaxaca Youth Empowerment to give voice to the young graduates of Centro de Esperanza Infantil, the students whose education, nutrition, and health services OYE has helped fund for over 25 years.
To close out the season, we sit down with Sara and Danna, two graduates in Nursing and beneficiaries of the program. They talk about what it was like to leave home and move away to study; the patient who taught Sara what nursing really means, after being abandoned by his own family; the six-year-old boy Danna cared for after a near-fatal accident, and the moment a doctor said there was nothing more to do; the reality of Oaxaca's nursing shortage, where one nurse is often responsible for five or more patients at once; and the moments of joy that reminded them why they chose this career.
They also share the message they'd give to their younger selves, and why staying human matters more than any technical skill.
This wraps up Season 1 — five graduates, five stories of what's possible with the right support. Thank you for following along. Every graduate you've met exists because of the ongoing support behind this program.
📍 Learn more about our work: https://www.oaxacayouthempowerment.org/
💛 Help us fund Season 2: https://www.oaxacayouthempowerment.org/ways-to-give
#OaxacaYouthEmpowerment #OYEPodcast #Oaxaca #Nursing #Season1Finale
25 Sept 2026
From No Internet to Software Engineer: Jose's Story | OYE Podcast, Chapter 4
In this episode of OYE Podcast, we sit down with Jose, a graduate in Software Engineering and Development and a beneficiary of Centro de Esperanza Infantil alongside Oaxaca Youth Empowerment.Jose talks about growing up without economic privilege and commuting nearly an hour each way to study in Zimatlán de Álvarez; the moment his curiosity for tech took off, from taking apart PlayStation controllers to asking how the internet actually works; building a custom software system during his internship at a hotel in Huatulco; and the digital divide he witnessed firsthand in rural Oaxaca, where people run real businesses without ever owning a phone or having internet access.He also shares his take on artificial intelligence as a tool rather than a threat, and the message he'd give to anyone who thinks their circumstances make success impossible.🎙️ OYE Podcast was created to give visibility to the young graduates of Centro de Esperanza Infantil, in partnership with Oaxaca Youth Empowerment.📍 Learn more about our work: https://www.oaxacayouthempowerment.org/💛 Support more young people like Jose: https://www.oaxacayouthempowerment.org/ways-to-give#OaxacaYouthEmpowerment #OYEPodcast #Oaxaca #Technology
25 Sept 2026
She Wasn't Supposed to Belong Here: Salmai's Story | OYE Podcast, Chapter 3
In this episode of OYE Podcast, we sit down with Salmai, a graduate in Architecture and a beneficiary of Centro de Esperanza Infantil alongside Oaxaca Youth Empowerment.Salmai talks about the doubt and exclusion she faced from classmates who didn't think she belonged in architecture; the psychological support that helped her push through it; her fascination with capsule buildings in Korea and Japan and the machines now being used to build houses; and her dream of designing a different kind of school, one built around joy instead of routine.She also shares the message she'd give to any young woman thinking about studying architecture: be brave, it's not impossible.🎙️ OYE Podcast was created to give visibility to the young graduates of Centro de Esperanza Infantil, in partnership with Oaxaca Youth Empowerment.📍 Learn more about our work: https://www.oaxacayouthempowerment.org/💛 Support more young people like Salmai: https://www.oaxacayouthempowerment.org/ways-to-give#OaxacaYouthEmpowerment #OYEPodcast #Oaxaca #Architecture
25 Sept 2026
Art, Grief, and Resistance: Marisol's Story | OYE Podcast, Chapter 2
In this episode of OYE Podcast, we sit down with Marisol, a graduate in Visual and Fine Arts and a beneficiary of Centro de Esperanza Infantil alongside Oaxaca Youth Empowerment.Marisol talks about her art series on grief, inspired by the moth's life cycle as a pre-Hispanic symbol; the difference between "art" and "craft" and how that distinction devalues the work of many Oaxacan artisans; the censorship she's witnessed against street art and printmaking in Oaxaca; and the challenges she's faced as a woman in an art world historically dominated by men.She also shares her passion for teaching art workshops to kids at Centro de Esperanza Infantil, and the message she'd give to any young person looking to explore their creative side.🎙️ OYE Podcast was created to give visibility to the young graduates of Centro de Esperanza Infantil, in partnership with Oaxaca Youth Empowerment.📍 Learn more about our work: https://www.oaxacayouthempowerment.org/💛 Support more young people like Marisol: https://www.oaxacayouthempowerment.org/ways-to-give#OaxacaYouthEmpowerment #OYEPodcast #Oaxaca #Art #OaxacanArtists
24 Sept 2026
Life, Death, and Medicine in Rural Oaxaca: Johana Esmeralda's Story | OYE Podcast, Chapter 1
In this first episode of OYE Podcast, we sit down with Johana Esmeralda, a graduate of the Integrated Medicine and Community Health program at Universidad para el Bienestar Benito Juárez, and a beneficiary of Centro de Esperanza Infantil alongside Oaxaca Youth Empowerment.Johana shares what it was like to leave home in Oaxaca City to study nearly five hours away, the gender bias she faced during her medical training, the shortage of supplies and medical staff in Oaxaca's underserved communities, and the story of a patient who changed forever the way she sees medicine — and life.She also opens up about her passion for emergency medicine, her plans to specialize, and the message she'd give to every girl and young woman who dreams of a career like this one.🎙️ OYE Podcast was created to give visibility to the young graduates of Centro de Esperanza Infantil, in partnership with Oaxaca Youth Empowerment.📍 Learn more about our work: https://www.oaxacayouthempowerment.org💛 Support more young people like Johana: https://www.oaxacayouthempowerment.org/get-involved#OaxacaYouthEmpowerment #OYEPodcast #Oaxaca #Medicine #Chapter1
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