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President’s Internship Program

Summer Class of 2014

Ruben Aguero – Summer 2014

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Position: President’s Intern for Youth Engagement

Country of Origin: Paraguay

Institution: The College of Wooster (Ohio)

Major: Economics

Special Mention: Former Youth Ambassador and AYLP Facilitator

My name is Rubén Aguero and I am 19 years old. I am a President's Intern, in

the Youth Engagement Team, and I would like to introduce myself to you. I was

born and grew up in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. Living in the Tri-border area

(Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay) is one of the reasons of why I like to immerse

myself in and understand other cultures. I studied in a Lebanese Muslim school

for 13 years, and that helped me become a polyglot; apart from speaking at

home in Spanish and Guarani, the Paraguayan national indigenous language, I

speak Arabic, English, French and Portuguese.

All of these experiences gave me the tools to implement a

community service project back in Paraguay, which focused on the

restoration of public spaces and the realization of community

festivals for greater involvement in the community.

I am currently a rising sophomore at The College of

Wooster, OH, where I plan to major in Economics,

and hopefully go back to Paraguay and continue

working on economic development and social

justice. I say continue because I already started this

by volunteering in NGOs back home, doing anything

I could to help people, especially youth. I worked in

summer camps, taught ESL, and music; I also

helped in the General Elections and in proposing the

FONACIDE law, which increased funds for public

education and infrastructure. My story with Partners

begins in 2011, when I participated in the Youth

Ambassadors (YA) Program. As a YA, I had the

opportunity to increase my global IQ by learning

about community service and people's experiences; I

still find it incredible that Partners helped me find

the relation between these two personal interests. I

came to DC for a week, visited Partners’ office (and I

am glad I am back), and met with other YAs from

Latin America; I lived in Goodland, Kansas with a

host family, and had a typical youth life: attended

high school, made great friends, went to

Homecoming and played sports. I also learned

about community organizations and volunteered, of

course. All of these experiences gave me the tools

to implement a community service project back in

Paraguay, which focused on the restoration of

public spaces and the realization of community

festivals for greater involvement of the community.

The awesome experience I had helped me stay

committed with Partners. I helped organize the

American Youth Leadership Program in my

hometown, and accompanied the program

participants during their stay. As a Youth

Engagement Intern, I will have the opportunity to

work on this and more programs, which will help me

grow and develop professionally as well as

personally. I hope I will contribute my experience

and capacities to the organization and also increase

my network with people involved in international

development.

Danielle Martin – Summer 2014

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Position: President’s Intern for Leadership Exchanges

Country of Origin: United States

Institution: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Major: Business Management & Spanish (Bachelor’s Degree)

Special Mention: Studied abroad in Costa Rica

My name is Danielle Martin, and I'll be the International Business

Fellows Intern. I grew up in a small town called Marshfield, Wisconsin

(center of the state) for my entire life before moving to Eau Claire (about

an hour away from the Twin Cities) to attend college. I just graduate this

spring from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire with a double major

in Business Management and Spanish for Business with a minor in

International Business. I have plans to continue my education in the

upcoming year or two by pursing a master’s degree in International

Relations. Some of the graduate schools I have been researching and

applying to are based both here in the states and abroad. If you have any

recommendations on excellent schools here or overseas, I’d love to sit

and chat with you!

I believe that through the tools and resources that I have been

given through Partners of the Americas, I will be able to reach out

and have a positive impact on others here at home, and abroad.

My main passion throughout college has been my

love of traveling and experiencing new places!

Some of the countries I have visited during my

travels include Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama,

Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, Switzerland,

Ireland, and many more.

While growing up my family always has

encouraged me to learn Spanish as a second

language. This is partially due to the fact that my

mother spent time in Spain while in college, and

started teaching me Spanish very early on.

Thankfully I have had the opportunity to study

abroad twice, once in Costa Rica and another

time in Italy. Costa Rica now holds a special

place in my heart, especially for my Familia Tica.

My host family abroad spoke little to no English,

so it really pushed me to obtain fluency and a

better understanding of the language. During my

time overseas I also spent two weeks living with

the BriBri tribe, an indigenous tribal group of

Costa Rica.

It was amazing to see how simple these people were

living, and be able to experience their culture first

hand. In my more recent study abroad last summer in

Italy, I had a wonderful introduction to the arts, history,

and foods and wines of the region. I spent my entire

summer traveling and backpacking throughout Europe

to continue my exploration of different cultures. My true

passion throughout my college career has really been

leadership and connecting it with culture. I participated

in an organization on campus called AIESEC, which

connects students with internships abroad. I enjoy

helping others become connected and being able to set

them up with opportunities to travel, similar to what I

have had the opportunity to do. I believe that through

the tools and resources that I have been given through

Partners of the Americas, I will be able to reach out and

have a positive impact on others here at home, and

abroad. I look forward to working and getting to know

all of you over this summer. I love talking and sharing

travel stories and getting to know new people, so if any

of you would like to grab lunch/coffee let me know.

Carlos Saavedra – Summer 2014

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Position: President’s Intern for Outreach & Communications, Executive Office

Country of Origin: Colombia

Institution: SUNY Geneseo

Major: International Relations, (Bachelor’s Degree Received)

Special Mention: Originally from Colombia, studied abroad and/or traveled to

Argentina, Portugal, South Africa, Senegal, and Mexico

My name is Carlos S. Saavedra and I’m originally from Colombia. I grew up in Albany,

NY and went to school at SUNY Geneseo. I majored in international relations and

have traveled across several seas. I received my bachelor’s degree in December and

aspire to continue my education within the next few years. Some hobbies of mine

include watching way too many movies, playing soccer, and of course international

travel. Among some of the places I have visited are South Africa, Senegal, France,

Spain, the Netherlands, Argentina, and of course Colombia. My travels have brought

me to different corners of the world, even more so having both Spanish and English

under my belt.

Having seen the ramifications of poverty, social inequity, and lack

of education in a transnational context, I have committed myself to

creating positive change and productive dialogue in order to combat

these plagues.

Growing up for me was an interesting experience.

Besides the fact that from a very young age any

reference point of identity was somewhat hazy in

terms of nationality, my father also convinced me

that he spoke no English until I was about 12 years

old. Directly resulting in a refusal to speak to him for

a few days as well as about five years later seeing

the incredible doors that had been swung wide open

by my bilingual ability. Born in Armenia, Colombia a

small city in the Andean valley region of the

Colombian coffee lands, I still appreciate the smell

of fresh air breezing through open windows. On the

flipside, my heart seems to line up with the hustle

and bustle of the major cities that have impacted my

life. An easy first being New York City followed by

several other favorites including Buenos Aires,

Ciudad de Mexico, and Washington D.C.

I thoroughly enjoy a good cup of coffee and seem

to be more talkative than most. Some attribute my

academic and young professional decisions to this

characteristic, I say it is just the “paisa” in me.

(“Paisa” being the term that Colombians use to identify

individuals from my specific region of the country). My

ambitions run far and deep into the incredibly

expansive community that is international development

and community leadership. Having seen the

ramifications of poverty, social inequity, and lack of

education in a transnational context, I have committed

myself to creating positive change and productive

dialogue in order to combat these plagues. With the

tools being given to me at Partners of the Americas, I

hope to make that commitment a reality of which I will

inspire others to take on as well. On a lighter note, the

passion for soccer runs through my veins. My ambitions

of becoming the next Pele were shot down several years

ago after tearing my ACL. I had surgery on my knee

about 5 years ago and things just have never been the

same. Although I do watch soccer games every chance I

get and with the World Cup coming up in Brazil, intend

to fully support Colombia. ¡Mi tierra querida!

Connor Hunter-Kysor – Summer 2014

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Position: President’s Intern for the Legislative Fellow’s Program

Country of Origin: United States

Institution: Juniata College (PA)

Major: Mathematics

Special Mention: Rotary International Volunteer in Chile

My name is Connor Hunter-Kysor and I will be interning with the

Legislative Fellows Program working under Martin Rozenberg and Penelope

Kim. I hail from a rural area located in central Pennsylvania. I spent the

first 15 years of my life in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, which is a town 45

minutes south of State College, PA, where the Pennsylvania State

University is found. After completing my first year of high school, I applied

to become a Rotary Youth Exchange Student through the Rotary

International Organization and was sent to Santiago, Chile, to fulfill my

duties. During my stay, I was given the opportunity to further my studies in

Easter Island, where I stayed for three weeks to explore and help complete

development projects implemented through my foreign Rotary Club in

Chile.

With this education, I feel that I will be able to

provide healthcare to persons in the United States and

hopefully move my work into Central and South

America.

Returning from my study abroad, I founded a

local Interact Club within my high school,

which is the equivalent to Rotary, but for

high school and middle school students to

be introduced to international service. I

currently attend Juniata College in

Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, as a rising third

year student pursuing a degree in

Mathematics with minors in Economics and

International Studies. I discovered Partners

of the Americas through a connection with a

staff member at my college, JoAnn Wallace,

who retired a number of years ago, but

assisted me in finding this organization as

she knew I was enthusiastic about

developing my professional network and skills. I

hope to gain the necessary traits to continue my

international education to apply them to eventually

become an English teaching assistant in Brazil

through the Fulbright Scholarship program.

Tentatively, I am pursuing my bachelor’s degree,

but I hope to receive my Masters of Public Health

and eventually a Ph.D. in Biostatistics with an

emphasis in Epidemiology. With this education, I

feel that I will be able to provide healthcare to

persons in the United States and hopefully move

my work into Central and South America. If you

have any questions, I am more than happy to

discuss them with you as I am a pretty sociable

person and I can network with anybody!

Enrique Romero – Summer 2014

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Position: President’s Intern for Program Engagement & Board

Governance, Executive Office

Country of Origin: United States

Institution: Grinnell College (Iowa)

Major: Sociology and Political Science

Special Mention: Visited Partners last fall during an internship with the Mexican Cultural Institute

My name is Enrique Romero. I am a 21-year-old rising fourth year at

Grinnell College (in Grinnell, Iowa). I am double majoring in Sociology and

Political Science with an informal minor in Psychology. My story is quite

long, but the short version follows. I was born in Los Angeles, California. I

lived in Orlando, Florida, for seven years. Then I moved to Tapachula,

Chiapas (Mexico), where I resided for three years. Subsequently, I moved to

Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico), where I spent another three years.

I know the skills I learn while working at and with Partners of

the Americas will carry onto my future endeavors. I am an open

book – that is, I am ready to learn.

Afterwards, I moved to San Antonio, Texas, where I

spent three years before I moved to Iowa for college.

I have moved around so much because my dad is a

Consul for the Mexican government. He is from

Michoacán, and my mother is from Puebla. Having

been raised by Mexican parents –who prohibited

English in the house- and spending more than half

of my teen years growing up in Mexico, I identify

strongly as Mexican. I love: working out, eating

healthy, and reading about human behavior and

economics. My one true passion is soccer. After

college, I hope to participate in Teach for America;

and, afterwards, hopefully enter law school or

possibly a soon-to-be-decided graduate program.

During my two-month internship at Partners, I hope to

learn as much as I can: personal and professional skills

(i.e. networking, grant writing, management, leadership

etc.), knowledge about other countries, and a deeper

understanding of Partners. I know that the skills I learn

while working at and with Partners will carry onto my

future endeavors. I am an open book – that is, I am

ready to learn. My curiosity has led me to this desk and

I hope that you take the time to teach me something:

anything you like!

Please feel free to talk to me at any time, in any

language. Also feel free to ask for help – I hope I can

be a resource and teach as much as I will learn from

you.

Daniela Zuluaga V. – Summer 2014

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Position: Graphic Design,

Communications

Country of Origin: Colombia

Institution: EAFIT (Medellín, CO)

Major: Product Design Engineering

Special Mention: Has a close connection to the Partner’s Antioquia

Chapter through a previous Legislative Fellow.

I'm from Medellin, Colombia and I am 22 years old. My nickname is DanZuVel. Dan

means Daniela; Zu means Zuluaga, my father’s last name, from whom I inherited my

sense of responsibility, professionalism and leadership. As well as Vel from Velez, my

mother’s last name, from whom I inherited my passion and creativity. I am a student

about to graduate in engineering product design from the University of EAFIT. I have

always drawn from my creativity and design ability to grow and be able to serve in all

areas to the people who need it.

This experience will open paths that I want to go where things

are simple, accurate and can be used to achieve positive change in

my hometown as well as all across the globe. Growing as a person

and as a professional to be someone useful to the world.

As I mentioned I have a passion to create, design and

simultaneously serve while helping anyone who needs it.

Regardless I understand the best way to do this is first I

have to grow in many ways, both personally and

professionally, by learning from each experience

incorporating different cultures.

In my interest to help and serve, I have worked with

multiple foundations and groups in my hometown.

Specifically with an organization called Soñar Despierto

and the staff at my university as part of a program called

Giant. A program centered on the idea of social design

and its implications. In all these experiences I realized

that both serving and helping are my passions. It is

something I enjoy and fulfills me as a person. For all

these reasons I decided to look for an internship in the

social field which has brought me this far and will

continue to do so. I also belong to a group rescue squad

in my town and I have taught and practiced Kung Fu for

many years. This being a hobby that demands much

dedication and discipline. Characteristics of which I

intend to apply on this journey as part of the Partners of

the Americas intern team.

During my career I have developed several projects.

Some of them have to do with the design of social

media. Design work that grabs my attention is

anything that has to do with the way things are

presented and the communications thus involved.

When creating products or programs with this

internship I will grow much more in these areas and

work hand in hand with knowledgeable people who

and are able to teach it just as well.

I know that everything happens for a reason and those

who come into our lives will forever teach us

something. You’re welcome to show me what you want,

I'll do my best to teach you something new and we will

have fun doing it!