From the Cayo District village of Santa Elena hails a young man that represents the true spirit of Belize and her people. Born to Philomena Harris and raised by a stepfather along with his two sisters Melissa and Daisy and three brothers Arturo, Brian and Kevin, Enrique Marconi Quiroz is a very proud man from Cayo.

At age twenty years young, Enrique goes by the nickname of 'Pinky'. The name came about when Enrique came to work day end and day out talking about his love of cartoons with his fellow workers. Enrique's favorite cartoon show was called 'The Pinky and The Brain'. According to Enrique, "the show was about two lab rats who always wanted to take over the world. Brain, being the smart one, left Pinky to be the funny and clumsy one. I would always give jokes while working with my fellow workers. That is why the guys all started calling me 'Mr. Pinky, the funny man'. To this day I am still called Pinky at work."

Enrique 'Pinky' Quiroz' mother remarried when he was only four and his brother was two years old. Pinky and his brother grew up together away from the family because of the relationship they both had with their stepfather. As Pinky puts it, "we did not get the same love and affection from him. We accepted it as it was and our mother always came to us showing her love for us. She explained that our real father abandoned us and she had to find someone to take care of us and that she was sorry that it had to be that way. We are glad and appreciate that he raised us and gave us what we needed."

A graduate from primary school with a B.N.S.E. (Belize National Standard Exam) of 76.4 in 1996, Pinky wanted to attend high school but he knew his chances were not good due to the economic state of affairs that his family was facing at the time. A few weeks after graduating from primary school Pinky met Dr. Elamin who worked with the Ministry of Education. When Dr. Elamin asked Pinky which high school he was attending, Pinky replied, "none". When Dr. Elamin heard that and when she learned from Pinky that his family simply could not afford to send him to high school, she told Pinky that that was not a reason for not going to high school.

As Pinky remembers, "Dr. Elamin asked if I wanted to go to high school and I explained to her that I indeed would love to be able to continue my education". Upon hearing Pinky's response, Dr. Elamin registered him at the Mopan Technical High School in Benque Viejo. She also bought all of Pinky's school books, accessories and uniforms. With a smile on his face Pinky remembers, "Dr. Elamin told me the only payment I had to do, was to graduate."

At Mopan Tech Pinky's favorite subjects were woodwork and metal work. In woodwork Pinky was the only student that prepared the class project. He learned a lot of carpentry and skills that included welding. Over time Pinky gained a lot of experience in the use of a variety of tools at Mopan Tech. In his four years of high school, Pinky had two part time jobs that allowed him to make ends meet. Pinky was also a volunteer fire fighter and had an evening job cleaning a TV repair shop. On summer holiday from school the owner of the television repair shop would ask Pinky to work with him as an assistant helper, enabling him to gain yet more experience that would benefit him down the line.

After graduating in the summer of 2000 Dr. Elamin was so happy with Pinky she again encouraged him to continue studying. As Pinky readily admits, "I wanted to work and make money to support my family so I told Dr. Elamin that I wanted a year off from school. A week after graduating my uncle got me a job as a carpenter's helper. Working made me happy, I could afford to buy whatever I needed and it enabled me to help my family at home. I was earning money so I did not go back to school. I learned quickly at work. I worked for the construction company A&B Lowen. They saw my ability to construct and gave me helpers to instruct. I started construction very young and at this moment I can build almost anything. I ran a crew of sixteen men at the site. "

During Pinky's fifth year with A&B Lowen construction he worked at the project developed by Belize Sea View Properties, now known as Chabil Mar Villas in Placencia, Belize. At the construction site Pinky became well acquainted with the developer Ms. Dianne Bulman. In Pinky's opinion, Ms. Bulman is, "a very nice and sensitive woman who helped me a lot on my wedding. She is not only a best friend, she is also like a mother to me, as she lectures me all the time. She was very happy for me when I got married." In November of this year Pinky will celebrate his first wedding anniversary. His wife is expecting their first child in September and it makes Pinky very happy to be having a family of his own.

Following the construction phase of the luxury resort Chabil Mar Villas that was completed in August 2005, Pinky decided to stay on and work for the management team as the Chief Maintenance Engineer. He hoped to stay at Chabil Mar Villas so he can continue to learn not only about machinery from dishwashers to air condition systems to swimming pool maintenance, but also about property management.

For you never know, Enrique Marconi 'Pinky' Quiroz as a very proud man from the Cayo District of the Central American country of Belize might just be running a fine resort like Chabil Mar Villas some day. And as Pinky will tell you, "thanks to the support of great women like his mother Philomena Harris, his educational mentor Dr. Elamin, and the gently kind lectures from his best friend, Ms. Dianne Bulman, there is no turning back". A bright future lies in wait for Enrique Marconi 'Pinky' Quiroz.