"Con Las Manos" Foundation in Colombia

I worked every Saturday morning for 5 years going to a school in Las Cruces, one the most dangerous neighborhoods in Colombia, and meeting the 5th grade students to teach math. Each Saturday started with meeting the 50 university student volunteers and checking that everything was ready. This included a check that the lunch, donated by my university, was complete, checking that the bus was coming on time, and finally checking that the materials for the day were ready.

After arriving at the school, the task was to organize 5 volunteers for 20 students so that there was 1 volunteer for each 4 students. I managed the logistics of one room and was in charge of time management, lunch, materials and generally ensuring that the kids had an amazing experience. Then, at the end of the day, the task was to give feedback to the students. There, when the volunteers were done, I and the other staff leaders discussed the day and created new strategies.

Definitely these are some of my favorite memories, and I learned a lot. I learned what it means to help people and why it is important to try to reduce inequality and poverty. This fulfilled me in different ways. I made many friends who I still keep in touch with and collaborate with on other projects. This experience really sparked my passion in education, technology, and the opportunities they both provide.