Luisa Tapasco (Colombia, Special Education, Northampton Community College, 2022-2023) is already working to give back to her local community since completing the CCI Program less than two months ago. She has also accomplished an impressive academic achievement; Luisa is currently a recipient of Harvard University’s Aspire Leaders Program, a fully funded 5-step leadership development program designed to give first-generation college students the tools they need to succeed and make an impact on their community. She is currently in stage 3 of the program, and after successfully completing it, she will have complete access to courses offered through Harvard University.
Since arriving home, Luisa has created a program called United Transforming Lives in collaboration with other CCI alumni from the 2022-2023 Northampton Community College cohort, including Tiopan Sinurat (Indonesia, Early Childhood Education), Felix Damasceno (Brazil, Early Childhood Education), Nurjannah (Indonesia, Early Childhood Education), and Mario Matinahoru (Indonesia, Early Childhood Education). United Transforming Lives was created with a special curriculum called UDL (Universal Design of Learning), a set of guiding principles used to empower youth in underserved populations. For the UDL project, Luisa collaborated with women in STEM and focused on climate action. She also incorporated 5 of the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations, which includes ending poverty by providing people with access to education, healthcare, livelihood opportunities, and social support, promoting gender equality and female empowerment by combating gender-based violence and fostering inclusivity for women, and improving access to education by supporting initiatives that provide scholarships, promote literacy programs, and facilitate vocational training, particularly for marginalized communities and underprivileged individuals. In addition, the program prioritizes environmental sustainability by advocating for renewable energy solutions and supporting conservation efforts, and they actively collaborate with other organizations, stakeholders, and communities to leverage collective knowledge, resources, and expertise. Luisa’s project also focuses on strengthening the social and leadership skills of the youth in her community. She encourages them to be ambitious and dream big. On June 7th, 2023, she presented the project to Colombo Americano, a Colombian binational center that partners with Education USA. Colombo Americano’s General Director and Academic Coordinator were in attendance and agreed to a partnership with Luisa.
Luisa presenting United Transforming Lives
In addition, Luisa created a program called Global Leadership Talks, which gives visibility to CCI alumni. The program provides virtual leadership workshops with other nonprofit organizations in Colombia. During the sessions, they talk about their social work in their communities. Through this project, Luisa hopes to inspire young people to become leaders and continue working towards the improvement of education and climate action. It’s also an amazing way for CCI alumni to stay connected and work together.
Global Leadership Talks zoom session
Luisa stated that the CCI Program had a significant impact on her life. It gave her the confidence and hope to cultivate a future, and it provided her with leadership skills and the strength to go after her dreams. As she looked back on the program, Luisa recalled how much her English language skills had grown. She was selected to speak at her college’s final ceremony, which she described as “the most beautiful thing.” Luisa also finds inspiration and empowerment in her connection to the CCI Program’s director, Leeza, who she views as a role model. Back home, Luisa is a role model for the young women in her community, and it’s wonderful to see the positive impact she’s already making. She is also planning on pursuing an education in international relations, as she is passionate about community work, youth education, and female advocacy. She would love to eventually become an international leader for the United Nations.
Luisa has also been delivering speeches in some of the small, rural towns near her home city of Dosquebradas. She hopes to enlighten and motivate people to see their true potential and open their minds to the wonderful opportunities they can seize. In closing, Luisa said, “I’m so grateful, and this experience is allowing me to inspire more people in my community. I can’t change the world, but I can change a little bit of the people’s reality.” Luisa’s inspiring story is proof that there’s a world of possibility waiting for everyone.
Written by Holly Calhoun, Alumni Relations and Communications Coordinator