Juan Carlos Moreno Perea

Hometown

Quibdo-Choco, Colombia

Education

Bachelors degree in English and French

Interests

How the socioeconomic inequality affects the learning process of black students in the pacific region of Colombia

Experience

As an undergraduate student, I was selected to receive the Martin Luther King (MLK) scholarship. As a part of the MLK program, I was instructed on how to build English skills as a tool in leadership and generate important positive impacts on my community. The same year, I joined a national program called PLAYLEE (playing and learning English). The main goal of that project was to teach English to kids from disadvantaged areas of Quibdo and guide them in the leadership field.

Apart from teaching English, I also decided to advocate for transformative change in the entire education system through a program called "Todos por la educacion" which had as a main goal to make education a priority in Colombia. As a volunteer I could carry out conversations with the secretary of education in my city to share different proposals about some public politics related to the education in my town.

All of my volunteer experience led me to accept a professional role in a social program called SUCCESS which was led by the Colombo Americano of Medellin. This program provided English teaching to low-income- students in various cities throughout Colombia in order to gain the skills to guide tourists.

I've had the chance to interact with people from different populations and background which has showed how huge is the gap between private and public schools. A clear example of that has been dealing with virtual classes now during the pandemic. Where students from rural areas don't have internet connectivity and access to a good education. In 2017 I volunteered for a program called Prosperity makers which allowed me to travel to Jamaica and teach Spanish at the University of the West Indies. From 2018 to 2021 I worked as an English teacher at the Colombo Americano of Medellin.