Professor of Mathematics Kimberly Presser spent the summers of 2025 and 2026 making trips to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, with La Fundación de Corazón Nuevo (New Heart Foundation), a nonprofit supporting girls who have experienced abuse.
During the summer of 2025, Presser taught statistics, and last summer 2026 she taught modular arithmetic to students in ninth through twelfth grades. During her last visit, the overarching goal of Presser’s lessons was to challenge students to think beyond simply memorizing material.
Presser had arrived expecting to teach younger children but found herself in front of high schoolers. One example of how she had to be quick to adjust was when she had planned an activity for young children involving beads, but since she had a classroom of high schoolers who had much larger hands that could hold more beads than Presser had planned for, she had to change course and remodel the activity.
“You should always be ready to pivot,” Presser said regarding her experiences teaching in Bolivia.
Presser had a translator to help her form the activity, Melissa, who also learned alongside the class.
Regarding her teaching visits, Presser described them as part of New Heart’s broader effort to provide community programs and connections with schools for orphaned, abandoned and abused girls.
Presser said the relationships that New Heart builds with schools are especially important because they helps the foundation connect with administrators. “It’s not just about teaching subjects like math; it’s about the relationships and the doors that open for the girls, and everyone involved doing the work,” she expressed.
During an outreach program in Las Lomitas, the Department of Mathematics provided ESTEEM bags, donated by Gettysburg Foursquare Church, that were filled with food and games for children in the community.
Presser said the girls’ experiences were heartbreaking to hear about, but despite the trauma and adversities that they’ve been faced with, she shared that the girls still spoke and carried themselves with kindness, gratitude and resilience.
As for New Heart’s impact moving forward, starting in January 2027, the foundation plans to build a home for girls, which will also function as a community space and counseling center. Donations from American supporters are expected to help hire Bolivian builders and designers. Through the home, the girls there will be able to attend a nearby school that visiting educators have been paired with.
Furthermore, the foundation also helps girls prepare for their futures. Presser said an older group of participants in the program aspire to soon open their own cafe. To help the girls brainstorm dishes and goods for their business, visiting educators taught them recipes that they can make and sell.
Presser credited New Heart leaders Freddy and Lillian with making the work at New Heart possible. “We’re there for just a short amount of time trying to do what we can,” she said. “They’re the ones doing the hard work.”
Presser plans to continue working with the New Heart Program and hopes that her visits, while brief, will provide girls with the support and knowledge they need to build brighter futures.
