Throughout the week of Mar. 21 to Apr. 4, AP Spanish worked with Spanish National Honor Society and other volunteering clubs in support of The Pulsera Project.

Founded in 2009, The Pulsera Project started by selling their hand woven bracelets to one university and one high school. Now, over 3,000 schools in all 50 states, as well as Japan and Europe, have joined The Pulsera Project, sharing the message of social justice and educating about fair trade around the world. 

“I love mission-oriented work,” AP Spanish teacher Rashmi Wright said. “I teach AP Spanish and our final project is a service project in conjunction with AP with WE. WE is a charitable organization based in Canada that partners with teachers and schools to promote service learning. I learned about WE through College Board and decided to incorporate service learning into my AP Spanish curriculum since I believe that it is important that we give back to our communities and world.”

Tables were set up in front of the cafeteria for every lunch shift and before school with volunteers selling hand woven bracelets and bags by artisans in Nicaragua and Guatemala. The profits raised over the past two weeks went directly to the artisans to provide a salary for them. 

“The Pulsera Project employs artists to make the bracelets, and this employment can really help make a difference in someone’s life,” AP student and Spanish NHS Co-President Satmika Rampalli said. “It also invests some of the money raised back into employment programs to help even more people get jobs. Similarly, the organization also invests money into education programs and [provides] scholarships/grants to send students to school.”

Pulseras, meaning ‘bracelets’ in Spanish, are one-of-a-kind, colorful pieces of art that go back to support Central American communities. This mission started off with Ms. Wright, as well as Satmika Rampalli, Sofia Segura, Stefanny Irincheva, and Jason Herrera who formed a plan to carry out the sales.

“The Pulsera Project was originally something a group of AP Spanish students and I took on for a community service project, but I feel like it has become more than just that,” senior Sofia Segura said. “It’s really rewarding knowing that doing something as small as a bracelet sale can help so many people, and it feels personal when you get the opportunity to see who exactly made your bracelet.”

Each pulsera has a personal touch to it, including a small tag and a photo of the artisan who created the bracelet along with their signature, giving those who purchase one a chance to meet the artist.

“The Pulsera Project is something I just heard about this year but when I read about it, I immediately loved it,” Rampalli said. “I just really like how people can get a piece of Central America with the pulseras and how all the proceeds are put back into the communities there. I love that it gives people more opportunities, and I’m glad that Stone Bridge can take part in that.”

The Pulsera project shares 15 core values that include protecting human rights, education, innovation, as well as fun, beauty, and adventure–emphasizing their passion for the world and for the people. 

“These core values, in my opinion, make them stand out from others,” Ms. Wright said. “Also [showing that they are] worthy of being supported.”