Her activism influenced a generation of Belizeans, many of whom went on to become leaders in the government and nonprofit sector. “Sharon had an outsize influence on Belize,” he said in a phone interview. After high school she signed up to be a survival instructor in the Air Force, which sent her to Panama for jungle training. She fell in love with the tropics, and with an Air Force dentist named Jack Schreier. Ms. Matola studied Russian at the University of Iowa but soon moved to Sarasota, Fla., where she enrolled at New College and switched majors to biology.

Source: International New York Times April 08, 2021 15:55 UTC