Faces of America - January 2010

January 2010

Debbie Psychoyos

In recognition of exceptionally generous U.S. citizens who, through their commitment and goodwill, have made a significant contribution to the well being of the men, women and children of Panama, the U.S. Embassy in Panama established FACES OF AMERICA, a regular feature on the U.S. Embassy web page. These Faces of America demonstrate the highest ideals of U.S. fraternity and philanthropy.

Debbie Psychoyos, founder and director of Fundacion Pro Ed has been involved with strategic and sustainable non-profit work in Panama for over 9 years.  Ms. Psychoyos, born and raised in NJ, came to Panama from Dallas, Texas where she was a first year teacher in 1982 and created the first ProEd program, Students Supporting Students in response to 9-11.  She states, “When I was glued to every minute of the rescue and recovery attempts, I was motivated to begin our own "rescue" of public schools in Panama”.  Through the years, Fundacion ProEd has built up on this interest in giving back to others, and has expanded to include mentoring for students and professional development for teachers.

Established in 2001, Fundacion Pro Ed seeks to empower students and teachers to share their instructional talent with others, bringing about greater results.  Whether working with adolescents through her “Time and Talent” mentoring program, or with teachers in seminars that focus on "Teachers Teaching Teachers, Debbie Psychoyos brings energy, value, and hope to each program with which she is involved.  Most recently, Fundacion ProEd has worked as patronato to “En Busca de un Manana”, a public school designated for "at-risk” youth who need more services than in mainstream settings.  Her work has focused on providing additional support,  energizing the teaching staff, and working with U.S. Navy ships providing COMREL support to improve the physical surroundings.