At Palacio de Granda, we believe that education means much more than simply transferring knowledge. Our mission is not only to prepare our students to achieve their academic goals, but also to help them become well-rounded individuals with a broader understanding of the world, the ability to appreciate different realities, and a genuine commitment to others.

This is why some stories are particularly meaningful to us. Stories that remind us that the values we nurture every day at school remain with our students long after they leave the classroom and continue to guide them as they embark on new journeys.

This summer, Xana Castro Vizcaíno, a former Palacio de Granda student and currently a second-year university student, is embarking on a transformative experience as a volunteer with Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN).

VIN is a Nepalese organisation founded in 2005 that develops a range of community support projects in disadvantaged areas of Nepal, working in fields such as education, childhood development, rural development, environmental initiatives and support for local communities.

Xana is currently in Okhaldhunga, a region located in the Himalayas, where she is volunteering at a summer camp for children from a rural community with limited resources. The area is mainly made up of farming families, and during the school holidays many children remain in their villages, especially as this period coincides with the monsoon season, when they often need to help their families with work at home and in the fields.

Every day, some of these children walk for up to two hours to reach the camp, where Xana and other volunteers organise educational activities, games and workshops that allow them to learn, have fun and enjoy a space created especially for them.

“I thought it was a really meaningful initiative because I felt I could help people who may not have the same opportunities that we do. Nepal also has a completely different culture from ours, and I am learning so much from the way people live, their hospitality and their strong sense of community,” explains Xana.

Her experience is giving her the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of a very different reality, while also discovering the many things people share beyond their circumstances.

“People here are incredibly hardworking and welcoming. I really enjoy being able to help them and share this time with them,” she adds.

Before travelling, Xana wanted to take a little piece of Palacio de Granda with her. She asked the school for support in preparing something special that she could share with the children in Nepal: a book created by our own students.

Our youngest students took part in this initiative with great enthusiasm, creating a book that showed what their everyday life is like at Palacio de Granda. Through photographs, drawings and short texts, they shared how they learn, how they work together and how they enjoy their school experience.

From Nepal, Xana has been sending us pictures of the moments when she shares the book with the children. Their expressions of surprise, their smiles and the excitement with which they receive this gift reflect the importance of these small gestures, which are capable of building meaningful connections between children living very different realities.

For Palacio de Granda, this experience represents much more than a volunteering opportunity. It is a powerful example of the impact of a values-based education: an education that encourages our students to look beyond their own environment and understand that everyone has something valuable to contribute.

We want our students to be aware of the world they live in, its opportunities as well as its challenges. We want them to grow into individuals who are academically prepared, but also responsible, compassionate and committed citizens.

Xana’s story fills us with pride because it shows that education is about planting values that last. Seeing a former student carry the spirit of Palacio de Granda to a Himalayan community and share her time, energy and enthusiasm with other children is one of the clearest examples that education leaves a mark that extends far beyond the classroom.