............................................................................................................................................................................  Natalia Cárdenas// Colombia 

To save the soul of a place, we need to make the culture immortal: understanding it, giving it value, and sharing it with others. 

I learned this while I was living abroad looking for new opportunities to grow. While meeting new people and exchanging different beliefs, I, unfortunately, encountered some uncomfortable situations associated with my homeland's prejudices and a bad reputation.  Colombia's social and economic historical problems have made most of the Colombians forget our cultural value and it has prevented foreigners from seeing the greatness of the country to travel. For this reason, in 2013, I felt motivated to return to Colombia and start a new career path to rediscover and show others the many faces of this magnificent country. 

For a long time, my dream has been to learn about alternatives to contribute to promoting Colombia's image while creating a positive social impact. My first move was to accept a position as a professional guide for travel agencies were I became an avid ambassador. Since then, my dream and ambitions have evolved, and now I want to generate a more significant contribution by creating businesses and networks in the tourism industry. I have been accepted into ESCP Europe Business School to study an MSc in International Tourism Management with a double degree with Cornell University major in sustainability, starting in September of this year. 

It took me over six years to save money towards this dream and many of you know how much I have fought for it, however, nobody could anticipate the impacts of the current global pandemic and the exceptional level on which COVID-19 has hit the tourism industry. This new time emerging from the pandemic's effects made me realize how important and urgently is to build bases to create new forms of sustainable tourism, and that's why I don't want to give up on this opportunity. 

However, with most of the world confined, I have struggled to complete my projected savings. For the past months, my income has been severely affected by Colombia's frontier closure to non-essential travelers that is operating since March/2020, by the economic impact on the currency exchange and all the additional costs derived from the logistics in these uncertain times. 

All my focus is on excelling in this master. And despite having the support of my family, I still require help in getting additional funds. This is why I am asking for your help to raise USD 10,000 to contribute to the following expenses: 

-Humanitarian Flight to Europe USD 1,500 

-Living and studying cost for 15 months between Europe and NYC €800/per month

-Flight to NYC to attend Cornell University 


Even a small contribution will help me to come one step closer to my dream. Also, if you could spread the word, that would be extremely helpful as well.


Thank you all!
Love
Natalia Cárdenas



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