Hi everyone, my name is Laura Leiva and as you just heard, I graduated CGB in 2013. Today I will be telling you a little bit about myself, and how I got to where I am now.
Through the IB I actually got a scholarship that allowed me to go to University of Sheffield, in the UK to study English Language and literature, which I loved and enjoyed throughout.
Coming back to Colombia was a little bit harder than I expected, and it was partly because I had no idea what I wanted to do. In school I had always been certain about what I wanted to study, and to this day I have no regrets, I loved my course but graduating meant I had to think what I wanted to do with it, and I did not know.
I also happened to return at a very critical time, which was for the plebiscite on the Peace Accord between the Farc and the government. That was the first time I had ever voted in my life. This was a defining moment for me, because I realized I didn’t quite understand the context of my own country. Even if we had seen it in classes and we would see internally displaced people in our city, I never knew what this conflict meant for others, and maybe that was because I never even asked myself what it meant for me. So when the “no” won, it really made me think that there were many things I did not understand about the society I was in, and that I wanted to learn.
This was the first thing that made me question what I wanted to do, and the second was after I volunteered for a month in the Amazon. I went to a natural reserve, to translate for tourists and throughout that time I spent most of my days with the local guides and they were the ones that actually taught me the most throughout this experience. For example, one of them was 20 years old and he told me about when he was younger he would go out every night to hunt animals, because it was easy money and being young he did not have many opportunities. It was only later that he realized the impact that this had on endangered species and the effects it had on youth, as he said, “that would sometimes give me more money than what I’m doing now”.
These experiences made me realize that I wanted to continue working with people, and do my best at helping, even though I did not really know how.
I began applying for jobs at NGOs and I was lucky enough that one of them needed someone that spoke good English. I began working on a project with youth in different regions of Colombia to see how they saw the implementation of the Peace Accord. Again, this was a learning experience for me; I think the youth we met with taught me more than I could have ever taught them, from the efforts and activities they organize to build peace amongst their communities, to working with native bees to bring opportunities to other young people in their region. From the start of my work life to this date it was been a whole learning experience, I have been able to travel and talk to all different kinds of people, from victims of the conflict, to ex-farc members, to Venezuelan migrants. What I can tell you from this is that sometimes we can do more by listening to others, and that there is a need to continue building on what they have constructed. Sometimes we may think that because we had the chance to have a better education or to travel the world more, we know better, but from what I’ve seen it’s the people that live this conflict, that truly understand what can change their lives.
And I’m telling you all of this because what I want to say is that it’s okay not to know what you want, and that it can be daunting to sit here and decide what you will do for the rest of your life. However, it’s important that you know that a number won’t define what you do, or that your undergraduate degree means you will have a certain job. We can build and shape our lives as we go, and that’s ok too.
Now I have more clarity, and I just begun a post-graduate degree in conflict resolution, at the Javeriana University. So my advice would be to study something you love, and to try your hardest during these last years of IB, but also don’t stress yourself too much. I remember crying over the math internal assessment, and right now, I can tell you that since I left school to this day, I have not seen one single matrix, (I plan for that to stay that way).
And for those of you going to University or those who have already started it, enjoy it, you will learn about yourself throughout the whole time and in my experience it will be way more fun than school.
Overall, know that things will change along the way and that it’s completely fine.
That was my original speech, but given the current circumstances I feel like I should touch on what’s happening with the Peace Accord right now, and I will try to be as neutral as I can, as I know this is a delicate subject, which has caused polarization from the start. From a conflict theory point of view, it is normal that something like re-arming happens, the first 2-3 years are the most vital to a peace accord, and so it is not the first time it has happened within the framework of a peace process, and it will probably continue happening across the world. It also doesn’t mean that the peace process has failed, it’s definitely important to highlight that there are still over 10,000 ex-farc members that continue their reincorporation process, and that even after the announcement, have said they will continue this path. And if you want to actively support them you can look into their productive projects, that include coffee, chocolate, hiking clothes, and many other things that are worth looking up.
I think it’s true that the peace accord has encountered many difficulties, but I think our role, as young people in Colombia, is to try to move towards it, we are the generation that needs to fight for this. Because I think older generations have lost hope, and we cannot let this happen to us.
I think generally, the world is facing a lot of difficulties, but I also think youth are creating a change more than ever before, I wish I would’ve gone striking against climate change when I was in school. But it’s your generation that is doing it, so that’s why it’s important that you above everyone else, create awareness and influence change. Everything we do is a political act, from the clothes we buy, to the food we eat, and as far as we are aware of this, we are able to begin change that will undoubtedly encourage other people to introduce small changes in their lives. I can give you the simplest example, I began working and always carried my water bottle, and in doing so my co-workers started carrying their own, and this means, they use less single-use plastic.
So to try to conclude, my invitation is that you use your voice and your actions to try to make the world a little bit better and good luck in your future studies.
Laura Leiva
Alumni 2013
Colegio Gran Bretaña