Could you speak about your career and how it has progressed since graduating from UCLA?
I worked as a lawyer in the public sector at the national and local level in Colombia before going to UCLA. After graduating with an LL.M. in 2018, I worked as a Promise Institute Fellow at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, supporting the Rapporteurship on Afro-Descendant People and against Racial Discrimination and the Special Rapporteurship on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights. After that, I was selected as a Fellow for the Programme for People of African Descent at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2019.
Later, I worked as a Human Rights Specialist at the Ombudsman Office of Colombia for 3 years. Then, I served as a Senior Coordinator of the Ethnic and Racial Justice Line at the Center for Justice, Law, and Society DEJUSTICIA.
In January 2024, I became a diplomat as Deputy Chief of Mission and Counselor for Foreign Affairs at the Embassy of Colombia in Ghana. Since July 2025, I have been serving as Chargé d'Affaires and Head of Consular Functions at the Embassy of Colombia, covering 18 countries, to strengthen academic, cultural, and commercial relations between Colombia and West Africa.
Leading a diplomatic mission is definitely evidence of the progress my career has made since UCLA.
How did the coursework and research you did as a student at UCLA prepare you for an international career?
At UCLA, I was a member of the Critical Race Program, the Promise Institute on Human Rights, and the International and Comparative Law Program. Also, as a practitioner at the UCLA International Human Rights Clinic, I later participated in the Clinical Field Experiential Course, visiting Honduras with the team. Then, I was selected to participate in the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law in Washington, where I became a member and mentor. Definitely, these experiences and courses in the School of Law prepared me for my career in human rights, race, and international law.
In my journey at UCLA, I understood that making changes at the international level requires knowledge, critical thinking, and values such as social justice.
What would you say to a UCLA student who is planning on having an international career?
I highly recommend that they take advantage of the courses, clinics, internships, fellowships, and research topics of international impact. They should also learn languages and participate in international law or relations societies or groups.