Carolina

My name is Carolina or Carito, and I was born in Bogota, the capital of Colombia. I grew up in a humble neighborhood with my mother. My dad never lived with us and my mom has been the only constant in my life. I remember my childhood in a beautiful way. My mom had to work very hard to make a living and sometimes we didn't have anything to eat. Although she tried to shield me from stress, I remember seeing her very worried at times. I had the opportunity to study in free schools until I graduated from high school. With some of my mother's savings I managed to complete a semester at the university but due to a lack of resources, I could not continue with school. However, one day during that semester I came out of a class and saw several young people laughing, playing, and talking. A girl came up to me and invited me to join them. It was a Young Life club! From that day on everything changed. I got to know Jesus deeply and I experienced the great love He has for me.

I have always admired journalists and their work. I am passionate about communicating good news to others. Now as a Developing Global Leader, I will have the opportunity to study social communication and journalism at the Universidad Minuto de Dios and become a journalist who can highlight the good things that happen in my country. I hope to be able to be frank and sincere about the information that is made known to others and be an example to other young people by pursuing a career with total integrity and commitment. I will be the first in my family to graduate from university.