Juan Andres Tobon Orrego

As an OU international student and Davis United World College (UWC) Scholar living in Norman, OK, anthropology junior Juan Andres Tobon Orrego searched for a way to help his community back home in Colombia despite the physical distance. One day, his computer lit up with an email from the OU UWC Scholars office outlining the Davis Projects for Peace, a grant that empowers undergraduate college students to contribute to peacebuilding on a global scale. Juan finally found his chance to make a difference. 

Juan set out to write his proposal, Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges: The Mobile Bilingual Library. The idea was the result of one of Juan's many brainstorming sessions, where he thought of his community's needs and how he could intersect his passion for both service and education. His project aims to use the power of education and bilingual literacy to help his community develop connections, encourage sustainable tourism, and gain a competitive edge in the market as well as each individual community member's educational path.

“Learning to speak English allowed me to see the world through new eyes,” Juan said. “In my community, I noticed constant struggles between locals and foreign tourists as they tried to communicate and have meaningful intercultural exchanges. This project will plant the seeds needed to foster spaces of intercultural understanding and peace.”

Writing the proposal and receiving the grant was just the tip of the iceberg. With his project in motion, Juan realized he needed the help of the Smile Education Foundation, a Norman-based, private non-profit organization focused on reaching impoversished communities in Colombia since 2009. Smile Education Foundation plans to provide professional personnel and volunteers to develop educational strategies that will help increase and encourage bilingual literacy.

“I have invested so much time in talking to potential volunteers, local authorities to make sure we have covered all the logistics, meeting with the staff of Smile Education Foundation to coordinate action, and more,” Juan said. “In the upcoming weeks, I will be using more energy to make sure everything for the project is covered and ready to deliver results.”

Juan chose to attend the University of Oklahoma because he saw a community with lively, service-oriented people, a high quality of education, and on-campus resources. He felt like all these things combined would give him a network and community of support. Now, Juan has the chance to pay forward his opportunities and learning experiences by bridging the gap for bilingual studies and his community in Colombia.

“This is an opportunity to empower and give back to my community,” Juan said. “I can use the power of education to close inequality gaps and create spaces that foster intercultural understanding and personal development.”

As president of the Colombian Student Association and a member of LatineArte, Juan not only wants to make an impact across the world, but also on OU's campus. Both organizations aim to create spaces that foster community and bring awareness of the international culture on campus.

“I chose to join these organizations primarily to find a community and to meet people,” Juan said. “However, I have found more than that. I have found opportunities to grow and give back to the OU family.”