16-year-old Andrew was born in America and now lives in Panama, but he most identifies with his Colombian nationality. The courses that he’s taking in Business Management and Science Behind Extreme Sports may sound unrelated, but they speak volumes to his unique identity.
Colombia will always continue to be my home. It’s where my extended family lives, where we celebrate all of our cultural holidays, and we make it a point to visit every month.
I think I’d identify as a surfer. In Panama, the surf community is growing. Most of the surfing that I’m able to do there now is about two hours away from home. The area that I live in has been dealing with extremely contaminated waters and the surfing community is trying its best to raise awareness about it.
Another part of my identity that I’m still developing is my interest in business. My dad founded his own company and it’s been incredibly inspiring to have witnessed him create everything from nothing.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have my father to learn from, and because of that, I think I want to start a business of my own. I’ve grown up witnessing the personality and life that my father has been able to put into his own company, and it makes me dream of being able to do that one day as well. We’ll see if I can make that dream into a reality.
Jill Luoma-Overstreet