According to an article in the Mexico City newspaper, La Jornada, the most outstanding students in Matamoros live in the most marginalized neighborhoods. José Urbina López Elementary School, where Paloma is a sixth grade student, is nicknamed El Basural, or “the trash can” because of its proximity to the city trash dump. For her achievements, the Department of Education of the State of Tamaulipas and the principal of the school, José Guadalupe Hernández, awarded Paloma a laptop, although it will not do her that much good since Paloma’s neighborhood does not have electricity. She has also been awarded a scholarship of $500 pesos a month (about $40).
