M L K R E P O R T JULY - DECEMBER 2016 Introduction
The academic and the leadership components for the MLK Jr. Fellowship Program cohort 2014-2016 reached their highest point the second semester of this year. Most fellows achieved a B2 or C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) which means that their English language skills are high enough to communicate uently and thus make their curriculum stronger to seek/compete for higher education level opportunities locally and overseas. In regards to the leadership portion, the MLK Fellows had the chance to attend meetings and workshops led by experts that have touched on many interesting and important topics such as volunteerism, social responsibility, gender equality and sexual diversity, among others. Consequently, the MLK fellows have participated in community outreach activities that have solidi ed their commitment to making a positive impact. In these cases, the fellows have gone to vulnerable communities to give talks and workshops to young people, and they also volunteered to give English language tutoring. 2016 was also the year when the dreams came true for those fellows who had the chance to go overseas to participate in programs such as SUSI or summer camps served by international universities. This report is divided into three sections: the rst one shows the progress made in terms of the academic and leadership components by MLK fellows in each of the cities in Colombia where the program is served: Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, Medellín and Quibdó. The second section includes some success stories of MLK students in di erent cities, and the last part provides a conclusion on the status of the fellows at the end of the program countrywide. Part I: Academic and Leadership Report
Barranquilla Academic Report By and large, academic standings in the program show satisfying results. As of November 2016, Barranquilla MLK fellows completed the 22 courses of the scholarship program and 100% of the 23 active MLK recipients reached the top three evaluation ranks (Excellent, Very Good and Good) of the Intermediate English for Adults Program at Centro Cultural Colombo Americano. All of the 23 MLK recipients achieved a B2 level of the Common European Framework. COURSES AVERAGE TAKEN GRADE COURSES INSTRUCTION CEF LAST NAME FIRST NAME JUL-DEC JUL-DEC TAKEN HOURS LEVEL REMARKS 2016 2016 (TOTAL) (TOTAL) Withdrawn from the ARENAS PEÑALOZA JONATHAN ANDRÉS 10 360 1 program
2 CASSERES BERRIO LINDYS KATHERINE 2 21 756 B2
3 CASTAÑO RAMOS YESICA PAOLA 2 21 756 B2
Due to work reason, 576 B2 4 CEBALLOS ARRIETA JHONATAN 1 16 he quit the program
5 CERA RUIZ EIDER JOSÉ 2 20 720 B2
6 CÓRDOBA MENDOZA NORIS ESTHER 2 22 792 B2
7 ESCOBAR ACOSTA DAYAN CAROLINA 2 20 720 B2
8 ESCORCIA HERRERA JENIFFER 2 22 792 B2
9 ESPITALETA TORO EFIGENIA 2 21 756 B2
10 GONZALEZ SOLANO ARTURO JAVIER 8 288 Dropped out in July 2015
11 GUTIÉRREZ PÉREZ STEFANY 2 22 792 B2
12 GUZMÁN JARARIYÚ INÉS PATRICIA 2 22 792 B2
13 HERAZO ESCOBAR JOSUÉ DAVID 2 22 792 B2
14 HERRERA CÉSAR LUZ MERY 2 22 792 B2
15 JULIO VILORIA DAYANA PATRICIA 2 22 792 B2
16 MONTES MOSQUERA SAIDA PATRICIA 2 22 792 B2
17 NAVARRO HERRERA MARÍA FERNANDA 2 22 792 B2
Due to work reasons, 18 PALACIO CANTILLO LEDIS 15 540 Ms. Ledis quit the program
19 PALOMINO MACIAS LAURA VANESA 2 21 756 B2
20 PÉREZ BARRIOS JEFFERSON 2 21 756 B2
21 RAMOS JEREZ JESÚS ALBERTO 2 21 756 B2
22 ROLONG DURÁN RUBÉN ANTONIO 2 20 720 B2 Reinstated
23 RUIDIAZ FERRÍN SAYULIS MARCELA 2 21 656 B2
24 SANDOVAL PEÑATE JULIETH VANESSA 1 21 756 B2
25 TEJEDOR HERRERA FRANCIS PATRICIA 1 18 648 B2
26 VERBEL VANEGAS ANDREA 1 20 720 B2
GROUP AVERAGE GRADE 3,7 MLK Fellows grade average
JULY - DECEMBER 2016
Excellent 90 - 100 15% Very good 80 - 89.9 35% Good 70 - 79.9 45% Average 60 - 69.9 0% Barely adequate Up to 59.9 5%
The table below shows their current Common European Framework level MLK fellows CEF level: B2 - 100% (23 fellows)
High Performing Students
Dayana achieved the highest academic average of the group (91.4). Besides her outstanding academic record and great rapport with the other MLK fellows, she DAYANA is highly respected among the whole community of the Colombo Americano JULIO students in Barranquilla. Both Yesica Castaño (90.7) and Dayan Escobar (90.7) also demonstrated great VILORIA academic performance in their English studies at the Colombo. Notable Student
Jeni er is another one of the outstanding students of the Martin Luther King Program in Barranquilla thanks to her strong commitment to her studies in the Biology Department of Universidad del Atlántico and her JENIFFER sense of responsibility to her English studies at the Colombo. ESCORCIA She is a role model to her two children whom she has raised mostly by herself. In spite of her humble origin, she has worked hard to earn her HERRERA degree in biology and become bilingual all while taking on the challenges of motherhood. Jeni er has a wonderful rapport with the other MLK fellows. They admire her unwavering commitment to her community work at a school in a disadvantaged Afro-descendant community in Barranquilla. No matter how hard life treats her, Jeni er always conveys a positive attitude towards life. Leadership Report
The implementation of the MLK Program in Barranquilla provided wonderful opportunities for the development of leadership skills not only for the fellows of the MLK Program, but also among the community of students of the Centro Cultural Colombo Americano where they are highly recognized and respected.
LEADERSHIP INSTRUCTION HOURS No. HOURS OF HOURS ACTIVITIES LEADERSHIP DONE ATTENDED WORKSHOPS LAST NAME FIRST NAME JUL - DEC BY REMARKS 2016 OFFERED (TOTAL) (TOTAL) STUDENTS
ARENAS PEÑALOZA JONATHAN ANDRÉS 4 13 0 Withdrawn from the program
CASSERES BERRIO LINDYS KATHERINE 4 13 11
RAMOS CASTAÑO YESICA PAOLA 4 13 11
CEBALLOS ARRIETA JHONATAN 4 13 7
CERA RUIZ EIDER JOSÉ 4 13 11
Sessions presented con icts CÓRDOBA MENDOZA NORIS ESTHER 4 13 11 with her university schedule
ESCOBAR ACOSTA DAYAN CAROLINA 4 13 9
ESCORCIA HERRERA JENIFFER 4 13 11
ESPITALETA TORO EFIGENIA 4 13 2
GONZALEZ SOLANO ARTURO JAVIER 4 13 0 Quit the program
Sessions presented con icts GUTIÉRREZ PÉREZ STEFANY 4 13 13 with her university schedule.
GUZMÁN JARARIYÚ INÉS PATRICIA 4 13 9
HERAZO ESCOBAR JOSUÉ DAVID 4 13 11
HERRERA CÉSAR LUZ MERY 4 13 7
Sessions presented con icts JULIO VILORIA DAYANA PATRICIA 4 13 13 with her university schedule
Due to economic di culties the MONTES MOSQUERA SAIDA PATRICIA 4 13 11 student didn’t attend many sessions
NAVARRO HERRERA MARÍA FERNANDA 4 13 9
PALACIO CANTILLO LEDIS 4 13 7
PALOMINO MACIAS LAURA VANESA 4 13 11
PÉREZ BARRIOS JEFFERSON 4 13 11
The student has had valid excuses to RAMOS JEREZ JESÚS ALBERTO 4 13 13 be absent due to personal problems Sessions presented con icts 4 13 11 ROLONG DURÁN RUBÉN ANTONIO with her university schedule
RUIDIAZ FERRÍN SAYULIS MARCELA 4 13 13
Sessions presented con icts SANDOVAL PEÑATE JULIETH VANESSA 4 13 9 with her university schedule
TEJEDOR HERRERA FRANCIS PATRICIA 4 13 9
VERBEL VANEGAS ANDREA 4 13 7 Aspects to improve
Taking into account the feedback from the 2015 – 2016 MLK fellows, we will implement the following actions with the new cohort of MLK fellows: 1. We will schedule leadership meetings every two weeks. (Not every week as we did with the previous program cohorts). 2. We will deliver a monthly report to the fellows about their attendance. 3. We will open a space to negotiate with the fellows about the topics of the meetings from the very beginning of the program. They will also be asked to lead the leadership meetings. 4. We will make connections and foster relationships between the MLK program fellows and local organizations with expertise in community work such as Rotary International, Vision and Lions International, among others as much as possible.
To learn more information about and see pictures of the Barranquilla MLK Program, please click on the following link: http://colombomlk.blogspot.com.co/
Special Events
On September 8, 2016 the MLK recipients had a meeting with Patricia Mira-Hunter, Deputy Director, Reconciliation and Inclusion O ce of the NOTABLE American Embassy in Bogotá. Ms. Mira-Hunter was impressed by both the GUEST fellows’ level of English and their achievements. SPEAKER On September 8, 2016, the MLK Program awarded the certi cates of English and leadership to the 23 recipients at a well-deserved graduation ceremony in their honor. GRADUATION
The MLK fellows of the 2014 – 2016 cohort continued organizing the Martin Luther King Conference that has been held every third Monday in January SOCIAL since 2012. This academic event joins the intellectual community in Barranquilla to discuss di erent topics related to human rights and ancestral WORK values. On January 16, 2017 the MLK fellows will lead a similar event at the BNC auditorium.
The MLK fellows were always outstanding attendees of the cultural events CULTURAL organized by the Cultural Department of Barranquilla BNC. They lead many of these events as well by organizing conferences regarding Black History Month, Afro Colombian Month (May 2015), and both the 2015 and 2016 Martin EVENTS Luther King Conferences.
Opportunities Overseas
She participated in the 2016 Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSIs) for Scholars program exploring and working on the topic of American State and Federal FRANCIS Public Policymaking. The program took place at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts. TEJEDOR Francis is a student of the Modern Languages Program at Universidad del Atlántico. She is also a proud member of an Afro Colombian foundation that HERRERA promotes social empowerment in impoverished communities in Barranquilla.
Dayan Carolina Escobar Acosta, Yesica Castaño Ramos, and Je erson Pérez Barrios These three fellows were selected to participate in the Global Leadership, Government, and Cultural Program Summer Conference Events in Washington D.C. The Global Leadership, Government, and Cultural Program Conference is a 2-5 week program focused on providing experiential learning in civics, leadership, professional development while exploring history and culture. Speci cally, the program exposed attendees to the inner workings of the US democratic system and the role of national and international organizations in shaping global policies. It also introduced them to US culture, history, and career options for future planning. Participation in the program was designed to enhance their leadership skills and community involvement, and will also provide attendees with skills and tools that they can use at home in Colombia.
is a student in the Architecture Program at Universidad del Atlántico, DAYAN Yesica Castaño is a student in Spanish and Literature Program at Universidad del Atlántico, and Je erson Pérez is a student in the Public Accounting ESCOBAR Department at Universidad Simón Bolívar in Barranquilla.
She was accepted to Universidade Federal de Minas de Gerais, in the state of ANDREA Minas Gerais in Brazil, as an exchange student. Andrea Verbel is a plastic arts student at Universidad del Atlántico. She completed the last semester of her VERBEL major there. VANEGAS Cali Academic Report After completing the basic program of fteen levels as well as the three advanced levels, a limited number of fellows were o ered the two-month TOEFL preparation course due to their performance throughout the program. In addition, all of the Fellows remaining in the program and who had studied with us continuously and without repeating a level, were o ered more advanced levels which they were expected to take until December 15th, 2016.
Some Fellows did take an additional advanced level or two but only ve of them took classes until the expected date of December 15th. These ve Fellows are Holwer Hurtado, Diany Lozano, Karen Mosquera, Thania Tarapues and Eider Tenorio.
In addition, Edgar Bomba, who was unable to complete the fteen-level program due to performance, was given the same chance to continue to take classes until the end of the year. This o er was made since Edgar has been a key participant in the leadership component of the program and because he is currently the Governor of Indigenous students at Universidad del Valle. Sadly, Edgar was unable to accept the additional courses due to the demands of his academic program and his political position.
Other Fellow such as Andrés Fernando Martínez, Cristian Betancourt and Yair Cuenú were placed in levels higher than Basic 1 and 2 which is where the rest of the Fellows were placed upon their entry to our English program and therefore completed it before the other Fellows.
The following chart summarizes the performance of MLK students throughout the second semester of 2016; the minimum passing grade is 3.0. COURSES AVERAGE TAKEN GRADE COURSES INSTRUCTION CEF HOURS REMARKS LAST NAME FIRST NAME JUL-DEC JUL-DEC TAKEN LEVEL 2016 2016 (TOTAL) (TOTAL)
1 BERMUDEZ CAICEDO JACKELINE 0 14 448 B1+
2 BETANCOURTH LÓPEZ CRISTIAN 0 11 352 B2
TOEFL prep courses don’t have 3 BOMBA OCAMPO EDGAR 1 17 544 A2 grades
CARABALI MINA KELLY JOHANA 1 3,0 14 448 B1
TOEFL prep courses don’t have 640 B2 4 CASANOVA RAMÍREZ KELLY JOHANA 1 20 grades TOEFL prep courses don’t have 5 CUENÚ MOSQUERA YAIR ANDRÉ 1 17 544 B2 grades
CUERO GRANJA ESTEFANIA 2 3,8 16 512 B1
6 CUARAN PÉREZ EDIN ROMEIRO 5 4,0 24 768 B2
7 ESLAVA RIVERA CAROLINA 1 4,0 20 640 B1
8 HURTADO MONTAÑO HOLWER ANTONIO 5 4,2 22 704 B2
9 HURTADO MOSQUERA YAISA 0 19 608 B2
10 LOZANO MOSQUERA DIANNY YICELA 4 3,0 23 736 B1+
11 LUCUMI MOSQUERA LINA FERNANDA 5 20 640 B2
12 MARTÍNEZ CADENA ANDRÉS FERNANDO 0 11 352 B2 TOEFL prep courses
MORENO CASARÁN LIBY MAGALY 2 3,7 14 448 B1+ Died in a motorcycle accident
13 MOSQUERA PALACIOS KAREN DAYANA 5 4,8 23 736 B2
14 MUYUY OJEDA YENNY ALEJANDRA 1 3,4 19 608 A2
15 OROBIO CUERO ELVER 4 4,0 23 736 B2
16 PALACIOS POSSÚ MARIA ELISA 2 3,0 20 640 B2
PARRA GÓMEZ INGRID TATIANA 2 3,2 13 416 B1 Resigned in March, 2016
17 PILCÚE PIAMBA LIDYA STELLA 0 3,2 19 608 B1
18 RENTERÍA SALDAÑA LUCY 1 3,0 19 608 B1
RODRÍGUEZ DIANA PATRICIA 0 14 448 B1 Resigned in March, 2016
TOEFL prep courses don’t have 19 640 B2 SALAZAR QUIÑONEZ MARÍA JOSÉ 2 20 grades
20 SOLIS BANGUERA JORGE LEONARDO 0 4,2 18 576 B2
21 TARAPUES CUASTUMAL THANIA JHISELA 4 4,0 22 704 B2 22 TENORIO ANGULO EIDER ANDRÉS 6 4,0 24 768 B2
23 VALENCIA SEGURA KATTY SAMIRA 3 3,0 21 672 B2
TOEFL prep courses don’t have 24 608 B2 VALENCIA MOSQUERA KAREN GISETH 2 19 grades
TOEFL prep courses don’t have 608 B2 25 WILLIAMS VALLEJO CINDY LILIANA 1 19 grades GROUP AVERAGE GRADE 3,7
MLK Fellows grade average
JULY - DECEMBER 2016
Excellent 46 - 50 5% Very good 40 - 45 39% Good 34 - 39 17% Average 30 - 33 39% Barely adequate Up to 1 - 29 0% Leadership Report
Fellows successfully completed the leadership component of the program. The last session was held in the rst semester of 2016. Fellows in Cali report being very grateful for having the chance to meet real experts in the eld of leadership. Congratulations to this solid group in Cali for their full attendance to leadership sessions throughout the program. Special Events
Although the leadership component has been completed for this cohort, thanks OMÉKONGO to the U.S. Embassy, the MLK Fellows attended a talk given by Dr. Omékongo Dibinga entitled “Upstanding Leadership” on Saturday, September 3rd. A DIBINGA former Fellow from our 2nd cohort attended as did 3 Fellows from our 3rd cohort. The MLK Fellows in Cartagena attended via Skype. Attendance was quite good given the fact that many fellows have classes or work on Saturday mornings. 2 Fellows, who had scheduled a meeting at the foundation where they do volunteer work, managed to re-schedule it so they could attend (Andrés Fernando Martínez and Yaisa Hurtado). The Fellows were very engaged during Dr. Dibinga’s talk and interacted with him throughout it by making comments and asking him questions. “Think before you speak. Write before you ght.”
Dr. Omékongo Dibinga delivering his talk “Upstanding Leadership”. On the screen behind him are the MLK Fellows at the BNC in Cartagena. One of our MLK students had an experience that is de nitely worth reporting. Lina Lucumi was selected to participate in a program called Spin 2016 which SPIN took place in Spain from September 23 to October 1, 2016. The intent of this event is to foment entrepreneurship in university students in Spain, Portugal and 2016 Latin America. As a participant of this event, Lina and her fellow Spin 2016 participants were invited to attend the 25th Summit of Iberoamerican Heads of State which was held at the end of October, 2016 in Cartagena. Even more noteworthy is the fact that Lina was one of the two Spin 2016 participants who was chosen to speak at the Summit in representation of Iberoamerican university students.
Lina Lucumi just before she’s to speak at the 25th Summit of Iberoamerican Heads of State in Cartagena The MLK fellows invited their families and members of the Coordination team traveled to attend and organize the ceremony: the General Director, Michael Cooper, the Academic Director, Claudia Villa and the Coordination Assistant, Juan Carlos Ruiz.
The fellows couldn’t hide their emotion and excitement during the ceremony, their faces said it all. All fellows received a certi cate of completion or participation in the program. Also, two outstanding students were awarded with vouchers for an international exam which are listed as follows:
Cartagena Academic Report During this semester the MLK recipients demonstrated outstanding academic performance during the levels studied. In general, the teachers have reported very positively from the students, and the monthly reports showed the upper intermediate level reached by each of them. At this time, all the students completed the 16 levels of English reaching an upper intermediate level of English, according to the Common European Framework. Some completed ve additional advanced courses and reached C1 level. The following chart shows their academic performance during the second semester of 2016: COURSES AVERAGE TAKEN GRADE COURSES INSTRUCTION CEF REMARKS LAST NAME FIRST NAME JUL-DEC JUL-DEC TAKEN HOURS LEVEL 2016 2016 (TOTAL) (TOTAL)
1 ALMENTERO ARRIETA HEYNI 1 88,76 20 800 C1
2 ANZOATEGUI GUERRERO LILIANA 1 80,72 20 800 B2
3 ASPRILLA MOSQUERA IRINA 1 83,76 20 800 B2
4 BALLESTEROS MATOS JOSYMAR 0 79,93 13 520 B2
5 BERRIO CAMPO SEUDIS 2 80,15 20 800 B2
6 CANO IRIARTE SAMIR 1 87,74 17 680 C1
CASTRO MARTÍNEZ SHANNY ROCIO Out of the program
7 DÍAZ BARRIOS EDDIE 3 80,68 20 800 B1
8 DÍAZ VALDEZ ORLEY 0 79,45 18 720 B2
9 GENES AMARIS HADER ENRIQUE Out of the program
9 HURTADOGUZMAN BARRIOS MONTAÑO HADERDILSON ENRIQUE 4 69,29 19 780 B2A1
Reintegrated 10 HERRERA ARROYO PAMELA 5 71,45 20 800 B1 to the program
11 JIMÉNEZ VILLERO ZOILA 2 78,84 20 800 B1
12 LEÓN GARCÍA ANIBAL 0 74,03 18 720 B2
13 MARÍN FONSECA LUIS 0 80,22 17 680 B1
14 MARÍN CANTERO YEFERSON 2 87,79 17 680 C1
15 MARTÍNEZ MOLINA MARGARY 2 88,82 14 560 C1
16 MEZA HERAZO ALVARO 1 87,00 16 640 C1 Passed APTIS Exam
NAVAS VILLALOBOS JOSIRYS 11 67,50 11 440 Out of the program
17 OROZCO CASTRO JESÚS 0 85,41 18 720 B2
18 POLO ESPINOZA LEWIS ENRIQUE 0 89,50 5 200 B2
19 SALAZAR WILMER 1 86,14 19 740 B2
20 SALDARRIAGA LUIS 1 82,38 17 680 B2
TORRES PADILLA DEIBER Out of the program GROUP AVERAGE GRADE 4,1 MLK Fellows grade average
JULY - DECEMBER 2016
Excellent 90 - 100 0% Very good 80 - 89,9 67% Good 70 - 79,9 24% Average 60 - 69,9 9% Barely adequate Up to 59,9 0%
EXCELLENCE CARDS Monthly, an e-card was sent to outstanding students to congratulate their remarkable academic achievement. Likewise, they were published on the Honor Roll of the Institution.
In addition, they were sent a monthly statement reminding them of their commitment to the MLK program and inviting them to use the resources that the Institution o ers to regain academic achievement.
MLK Recipients took part in the 'Speaking Corner' program, where in an environment outside the classroom they spoke about political, cultural and other subjects. They practiced English and improved their language skills. LEADERSHIP INSTRUCTION HOURS
No. HOURS OF HOURS ACTIVITIES LEADERSHIP DONE ATTENDED LAST NAME FIRST NAME WORKSHOPS JUL - DEC BY OFFERED 2016 STUDENTS (TOTAL) (TOTAL)
ALMENTERO ARRIETA HEYNI 6 18 12
ANZOATEGUI GUERRERO LILIANA 6 18 12
ASPRILLA MOSQUERA IRINA 6 18 12
BALLESTEROS MATOS JOSYMAR 6 18 9
BERRIO CAMPO SEUDIS 6 18 15
CANO IRIARTE SAMIR 6 18 15
CASTRO MARTÍNEZ SHANNY ROCIO
DÍAZ BARRIOS EDDIE 6 18 12
GENES AMARIS ORLEY 6 18 15
HURTADO MONTAÑO HADER ENRIQUE
GUZMAN BARRIOS DILSON 6 18 6
HERRERA ARROYO PAMELA 4 12 12
JIMÉNEZ VILLERO ZOILA 6 18 15
LEÓN GARCÍA ANIBAL 6 18 9
MARÍN FONSECA LUIS 6 18 9
MARÍN CANTERO YEFERSON 6 18 9
6 18 12 MARTÍNEZ MOLINA MARGARY
MEZA HERAZO ALVARO 6 18 18
NAVAS VILLALOBOS JOSIRYS
OROZCO CASTRO JESÚS 6 18 9
POLO ESPINOZA LEWIS ENRIQUE 6 18 15
SALAZAR WILMER 6 18 12
SALDARRIAGA LUIS 6 18 6 The leadership sessions were guided by several teachers, experts in the topic of leadership:
Psychologist from the Universidad de San Buenaventura, specializing in clinical NELSY psychology. More than ve years of directing life strategies for university students. SANABRIA
Historian from University of Cartagena. Teaching English Specialist, LUIS Unicolombo. He is a young historian graduated of Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Cartagena. Committed to the development of the region and the formation CASTRO of citizens with social sense and values. He has shared talks and lectures on Colombia independents processes, national states, leadership, entrepreneurship and nonviolence in di erent academic areas. He has taught elementary, secondary basic in various public and private schools in the city of Cartagena, currently serves as a professor at the Centro Colombo Americano.
Historian and Specialist in development projects for MLK Scholars, with training RONAL in research with ethnic approaches from the historical perspectives. With extensive experience in community work with emphasis on the protection, promotion and safeguarding of the rights and cultural manifestations of the MIRANDA Afro-Colombian communities; Ability to work in teams and good communication skills. Also with the great availability to explore other elds of MÁRQUEZ knowledge and work practice. In this second semester, the scholarship recipients were invited to various extracurricular activities carried out in museums and cultural houses, related to the issues of leadership and Afro-Colombianidad
Special Events
BREAKFAST The students were invited to a breakfast event to socialize with them some important aspects and commitment of the scholarship program. In the same way, it was a venue to share with the scholars and listen to the experiences they have had in the development of the Martin Luther King Jr. program. Brenda Vargas, coordinator of Education USA, shared information on exchange programs and scholarships abroad.
ELECTION DAY The MLK students were the special guests for the special broadcast of the United States Presidential Elections. Also, during these educational events a teacher from the United States, and experts in the subject, explained the electoral system of North America.
THE COLOMBO WITH THE EMBASSY AT THE GASTRONOMIC FESTIVAL The Colombo Americano and its MLK fellows were linked to the Sabores Gourmet event thanks to the alliance that exists with the United States Embassy. USA was the guest country in this second version of the Cartagena de Indias Gastronomic Festival. During the four day event, the MLK students were accompanying the US Embassy in a stand in which they performed various recreational activities that promoted the cultural of the North American country. July 4th was celebrated at this event with the visit of Mr. Kevin Whitaker, USA Ambassador in Colombia. GRADUATION CEREMONY A special ceremony was held for the MLK recipients to give them the certi cates for having successfully participated in the Martin Luther King Jr. Program 2014 – 2016. After the ceremony, they were invited to a toast in the company of the Board of Directors of the Institution.
Progress Made
Most fellows reached a B2 level at the end of the program. The following pie shows the results of the academic component: Part II: Success Stories
Lewis Polo has been a student who has excelled during this cohort and was LEWIS therefore chosen as an ambassador for the release of the new bidfor the POLO Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship program. We have annexed a note published in the newspapers of the city of (CARTAGENA) Cartagena. "Yes there are opportunities for Afros and Indigenous people" Lewis Polo, a resident of the Vista Hermosa neighborhood, is the one who promotes the new bid for the Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship program, which he was a bene ciary of in 2014 and for which he received training in English and Leadership. Still excited, 23-year-old Polo acknowledged that although he wanted to learn a second language, English courses were very costly with respect to the economic situation of his family, so he said that being a bene ciary of the program in the 2015 Program changed his life dramatically: "I never thought I could speak a second language, for me it is surprising to have a text in hand and read it in English without having to use a translator or to meet foreigners Downtown and to be able to understand them, is a great achievement." The scholarship, which o ers 16 intermediate English courses and ve advanced courses, in addition to a diploma in leadership, is promoted by the US State Department, in partnership with the Colombo Americano and is intended for Afro-descendants and indigenous people. Being a bene ciary of this program allowed Lewis to obtain a grant from the U.S. State Department's Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI), which o ers a ve-week stay in that country, where participants travel through several universities and are closely acquainted with the system of government. "I had to compete with people from all over the country (...) during those weeks I had the opportunity to share with people from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico and it was very interesting to meet them, learn about their careers and their countries. I thought I was only going to study but I came back with 39 brothers and sisters, and I'm still in contact with them," said Lewis, who next semester will complete a degree in Economics from Universidad de Cartagena and a Bachelor's Degree from Unicolombo.
"Black and Indigenous youth who have felt rejected or marginalized should know that there are opportunities and that they may be at the level of those who have had the advantages since they were born and should take advantage of them," Lewis said. My name is Sandra Milena Hoyos Pérez. I am 25 years old. I am an indigenous SANDRA student from the Zenu ethnic group settled in an indigenous reservation in high San Jorge. I had the opportunity to be part of the MLK Program in HOYOS Medellin from 2014 to 2016. The MLK Program has meant a great opportunity which has helped me grow up not only in the professional eld but also (MEDELLÍN) reinforce my leadership skills. Nowadays, I have to say that the program has been one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. Being part of the program has been a wonderful chance that taught me that anything is impossible. Throughout the process, I had the opportunity to experience several events that shaped my way of thinking in a di erent one. Thus, now I am proud of saying that being an MLK fellow was and is still a privilege, one that once I dreamed and that now I can say I lived and enjoyed. The MLK Program gave me the possibility to become aware of di erent issues that have an in uence on our indigenous and afro Colombian communities and also provided me with the chance to interact with di erent cultures which taught me that even if we are all di erent, we can take advantage of our di erences to struggle and bene t our communities. I am really grateful to the program and all those who have been part of the process for trusting us and for contributing to the improvement of our quality of life and that of our communities. I feel truly happy for the support and commitment that all of them showed and for the encouraging words we received in every moment. Now, all I can say is Thanks! Thanks for being walking with us, thanks for helping us dreaming and thanks for teaching us that everything can be possible and that our dreams are important to you. Thanks to the program that gave us the great opportunity to keep dreaming and struggling. Thanks for better our present and our future.
THE MLK PROGRAM IS MORE THAN AN EXPERIENCE JUAN CARLOS Once, a friend of mine who participated in the last cohort of the MLK program told me “Juan Carlos, MLK will be a great experience for you. You MORENO won’t regret joining it!” Those were the rst words I was told when I realized I was selected to participate in the program. Although I knew she was right (QUIBDÓ) because I had seen how some people’s lives had changed, I wanted to experience it myself, so I had high expectations. Undoubtedly MLK is not only an experience but also it changes people’s minds. I had always been a shy person who felt afraid of expressing himself in front of people. Fortunately through the leadership workshops, I am now able to do it whenever I want. Moreover, it helped me to discover my skills as a leader and above all, to concern myself about others. This program has increased my responsibility with the state of Chocó, which needs dedicated and driven people in order to make it grow. Additionally, its English component allowed me to have a better understanding of U.S. culture, understanding that English is not only a language, but also a culture. I had the pleasure to have excellent teachers who taught me that teaching and learning English can be enjoyable. As a future English teacher I learned a lot of methodologies and strategies to teach which I will use with my students.
To conclude, the MLK program encouraged me to contribute positively to our society; it was the beginning of great things in my life. If I look back, I can see how my life has changed and words would not be enough to express it. I have a better perception of life, and the MLK program has been a blessing in every step I have taken. I promise I will keep Martin Luther King’s legacy alive. This program changed my mind. Thanks to USAID, Colombo Americano de Medellin and everyone who has made this possible. Finally I want to leave this question for everyone currently reading… What are you doing for others? Medellín Academic Report During this nal semester, students have shown good academic achievement, though we have seen more di culty to take courses during this time as it con icts with their university schedule in terms of nal exams and the fact that the number of advanced courses scheduled at the end of the year at the Colombo is restricted. It is important to highlight that most fellows achieved a B2 level during the rst semester of 2016 and that is the main goal of the program in terms of academic objectives. The grades obtained by fellows this semester demonstrated their commitment to the program, with most of them maintaining the GPA they had achieved throughout the duration of the program. Nevertheless, there were few students that obtained lower grades this semester, and saw their grade average drop substantially. By and large, 62% of the fellows took between zero and three courses, 7 students took three courses, 6 students took two courses, 4 students took one course, and 1 student didn’t take any courses. The following chart details the performance of the MLK fellows during this last semester. The minimum passing grade is 3.4. COURSES AVERAGE TAKEN GRADE COURSES INSTRUCTION CEF LAST NAME FIRST NAME JUL-DEC JUL-DEC TAKEN HOURS LEVEL REMARKS 2016 2016 (TOTAL) (TOTAL) Withdrawn from the program ARCOS CEBALLOS ADRIANA MARCELA 6 228 A2 in April 2015
1 CAICEDO SÁNCHEZ ANDRÉS FELIPE 2 1,9 19 722 C1
2 DÍAZ BUENAÑOS BEYFAN 3 3,8 19 722 C1
Withdrawn from the program MORALES MOSQUERA CARLOS ANDRÉS 1 3,2 18 684 C1 in July 2015
3 RUIZ HURTADO CLARA FERNANDA 4 4,1 22 836 C1
4 TAPIA PALENCIA CLARA INÉS 4 4,1 22 836 C1
5 ROBLEDO DELGADO CRISTIAN ARIEL 3 4,2 22 836 C1
Withdrawn from the program 570 B2 PORTILLA ENRIQUEZ DANIEL ALEJANDRO 1 1,3 15 in august 2016
6 MOSQUERA CUESTA DIGNA PAOLA 3 4,3 22 836 C1
7 MURILLO ALEGRÍA JHEN JAVES 4 4,0 23 874 C1
8 PALACIO VALDÉS JHOAN ANDRÉS 2 3,8 20 760 C1
9 CUESTA ASPRILLA JHON ABELARDO 4 4,5 22 836 C1
10 URANGO PÉREZ JUAN CAMILO 3 4,6 21 798 C1
Resigned from the program SANCHÉZ MORENO JUAN CARLOS 18 684 C1 in May 2016
11 ANGEL BUSTAMANTE LEDIS YORLEIDIS 2 4,0 19 722 C1
Withdrawn from the program 12 RENTERÍA HERNÁNDEZ LEIDY PAOLA 3 4,1 21 798 C1 in august 2016
13 PEREA CUESTA LIC AMIRIS 2 4,3 18 684 C1
14 VARGAS NUÑEZ LILIBETH 4 4,1 22 836 C1
15 BELTRÁN DURANGO LINA MARÍA 1 4,3 18 684 C1
Withdrawn from the program ECHAVARRIA LLOREDA MARÍA VICTORIA 1 3,0 17 646 C1 in august, 2016
16 VALOYES CHAVERRA MARIAN YISETH 2 4,5 20 760 C1
Withdrawn from the program BANGUERA HURTADO MARIO YESID 2 76 A1 in January 2015
17 LEDESMA CUESTA MERY LUISA 3 4,4 21 798 C1
She started in the program 608 B2 18 DÍAZ RENGIFO ROSY STEPHANIE 3 2,8 16 in April 2015
19 HOYOS PÉREZ SANDRA MILENA 2 4,3 19 722 C1
20 TIPAS PUERRES SAULO SEBASTIÁN 4 4,1 23 874 C1 21 SÁNCHEZ GÓMEZ SEBASTIÁN 4 3,2 17 646 C1
22 PALACIOS MORENO SÓCRATES 4 3,7 19 722 C1
Incorporated into the 23 152 A2 VIERA ROMAÑA YAREIZA 0 0,0 4 program in February 2016 Withdrawn from the program 456 B1 MORENO ROBLEDO YEFFER ANILIO 12 in February 2015
24 CUESTA MOSQUERA YENIFER 4 4,1 23 874 C1
25 AGUALIMPIA CÓRDOBA YESSICA 4 4,0 21 798 C1
26 MORENO SÁNCHEZ YISSELY 4 4,2 23 874 C1 GROUP AVERAGE GRADE 3,7
of English during 2014 and 2016 874 distributed in 23 courses taken by HORAS MLK fellows until present.
JULY - DECEMBER 2016
Excellent 46 - 50 3% Withdrawn from the program in august 2016 Very good 40 - 45 62% Good 34 - 39 10% Average 30 - 33 10% Barely adequate Up to 01-29 14% High Performing Students
John is a Petroleum Engineering student from Universidad Nacional de JHON Colombia who showed an outstanding performance not only during this semester but since the program started. According to his teachers, John has a very positive attitude towards his learning process and shows great ABELARDO commitment to the program. CUESTA Juan was also reported as an outstanding student last year. He is aware of his JUAN learning process and has remarkable English language skills. Teachers reported very positively about his responsibility and great attitude. Juan also CAMILO managed to show his potential out of the classroom by being elected to participate in a summer camp in Germany in July, more details about this URANGO achievement in the opportunities overseas section.
We continue stimulating high performance students in each cycle by sending them excellence certi cates and posting them on MLK groups in social media. Students who get a nal grade EXCELLENCE above 4.5 (being 5.0 the maximum) are awarded with this certi cate every cycle. These are some samples of the CARDS certi cates sent during this semester:
Due to their outstanding academic performance in the program, 15 MLK fellows were awarded with ! excellence cards along this semester Low-Performing Students and Special Cases
Andrés had problems with class attendance towards the end of the program ANDRÉS due to the academic load in his university program. He could nish course 16 which is the last course of the B2 level, but he couldn’t continue taking courses of the C1 level. Andrés was contacted by the coordination of the program and FELIPE he attended a meeting where he said that besides his responsibility at the university, he felt emotionally unstable. He was given permission to postpone CAICEDO registration until he felt better. He came back in September but he failed the course due to the amount of absences.
Rosy failed course 14 in cycle 7 because of absences. Teachers reported that ROSY Rosy just stopped attending classes without notice. The mentor of the program contacted her and found that she was in her hometown accompanying her STEPHANIE family because her grandmother died. She was given permission to defer registration until cycle 9. DÍAZ
Withdrawn from the Program
Maria started to show di culties to achieve the curriculum’s objectives since MARÍA she reached the A2 level. At the beginning of this year, her teacher from course 12, reported that her language skills were below the level’s standard, so she VICTORIA joined the tutoring program and her tutor recommended that she should repeat course 8 and continue her process from there. In August, Maria Victoria was ECHAVARRIA withdrawn from the program because she failed the third course.
Carlos is a Physical Education student from Universidad San Buenaventura who CARLOS has shown some trouble in the areas of oral and written production. In previous reports, it was reported that Carlos had failed two courses throughout his time ANDRÉS in the program which takes him technically out of the program. However, the coordination of the program along with the Colombo’s academic committee MORALES decided to give him another chance as his previous academic records were above the program’s average. Nevertheless, Carlos failed a course again and was automatically withdrawn from the program.
Daniel joined the tutoring program in 2015 when his teachers reported that he DANIEL had di culties with the oral and written production. Unfortunately, Daniel failed 3 courses during his time in the program and was automatically withdrawn in PORTILLA August, 2016. Progress Made
Twenty six MLK fellows nished the program successfully in October; the vast majority of them achieved the main goal of the program in terms of the academic component: Reaching a B2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Ninety two percent certi ed a B2 level and most of them could even manage to take advanced courses to certify a C1 level. Two students more, reached an A2 and B2 level because they entered the program at a later stage.
Leadership Report
Fellows attended a total of 6 hours distributed in 2 sessions. The two main topics addressed during these sessions were studies abroad and standardized/international exams. In the rst session, the fellows had the chance to go over the TOEFL and the IELTS' main features. Érika López, Education USA Advisor, was the expert who led this session and exposed students to a couple of the exam's samples. The students also had the chance to ask questions about the di erences and similarities between these two exams. The second session, was about studies abroad and was led by Luisa Mejía, Director of special projects at the Colombo Americano Medellin. Luisa shared with the fellows the most important programs they can apply to in order to get a scholarship to study a master's program. She shared her experience abroad when she partook in a fellowship program and gave tips on how to be successful when applying to any of these opportunities. Also, fellow Marian Valoyes shared pictures and stories of her time in the SUSI Program. She talked about the places she visited and how meaningful this experience was. Additionally, the fellows were surprised in the last session with a cake to celebrate the two years of the program and the closure of the leadership component. MLK fellows enjoying the anniversary cake
Regarding attendance to leadership sessions, MLK fellows are constantly reminded about the importance of receiving instruction on leadership; however, because of inconveniences with university schedules, personal or academic situations some of them did not attend several sessions. The following chart shows the amount of hours o ered and the ones fellows attended:
LEADERSHIP INSTRUCTION HOURS No. HOURS OF ACTIVITIES HOURS LEADERSHIP DONE ATTENDED WORKSHOPS JUL - DEC BY REMARKS LAST NAME FIRST NAME OFFERED 2016 STUDENTS (TOTAL) (TOTAL)
ARCOS CEBALLOS ADRIANA MARCELA Withdrawn
CAICEDO SÁNCHEZ ANDRÉS FELIPE 2 6 0 No excuse provided
DÍAZ BUEÑAÑOS BEYFAN 2 6 0 No excuse provided
MORALES MOSQUERA CARLOS ANDRÉS 2 6 No excuse provided
RUIZ HURTADO CLARA FERNANDA 2 6 0 No excuse provided
TAPIA PALENCIA CLARA INÉS 2 6 0 No excuse provided
ROBLEDO DELGADO CRISTIAN ARIEL 2 6 6
PORTILLA ENRIQUEZ DANIEL ALEJANDRO 2 6 No excuse provided
MOSQUERA CUESTA DIGNA PAOLA 2 6 6 MURILLO ALEGRÍA JHEN JAVES 2 6 4
PALACIO VALDÉS JHOAN ANDRÉS 2 6 0 No excuse provided
CUESTA ASPRILLA JHON ABELARDO 2 6 6
URANGO PÉREZ JUAN CAMILO 2 6 0 No excuse provided
SANCHÉZ MORENO JUAN CARLOS 2 6 Resigned
ANGEL BUSTAMANTE LEDIS YORLEIDIS 2 6 0 No excuse provided
RENTERÍA HERNÁNDEZ LEIDY PAOLA 2 6 6
PEREA CUESTA LIC AMIRIS 2 6 0 No excuse provided
VARGAS NUÑEZ LILIBETH 2 6 6
BELTRÁN DURANGO LINA MARÍA 2 6 0 No excuse provided
ECHAVARRIA LLOREDA MARÍA VICTORIA 2 6
VALOYES CHAVERRA MARIAN YISETH 2 6 6
BANGUERA HURTADO MARIO YESID 2 Withdrawn
LEDESMA CUESTA MERY LUISA 2 6 0 No excuse provided
DÍAZ RENGIFO ROSY STEPHANIE 2 6 0 No excuse provided
HOYOS PÉREZ SANDRA MILENA 2 6 4
TIPAS PUERRES SAULO SEBASTIÁN 2 6 0 No excuse provided
SÁNCHEZ GÓMEZ SEBASTIÁN 2 6 6
PALACIOS MORENO SÓCRATES 2 6 6
VIERA ROMAÑA YAREIZA 2 6 6
MORENO ROBLEDO YEFFER ANILIO 2 6 Withdrawn
CUESTA MOSQUERA YENIFER 2 6 4
AGUALIMPIA CÓRDOBA YESSICA 2 6 6
MORENO SÁNCHEZ YISSELY 2 6 6
VIERA ROMAÑA YAREIZA 2 6 0 No excuse provided Guest Speakers
ÉRIKA LÓPEZ Standardized/International Exams October 8th , 2016 Erika Lopez completed her B.A. in Economics at the University of Medellin (2008) in Medellin, Colombia. She has worked at the Colombo Americano Medellin for the last 13 years. She is currently the EducationUSA Advisor in Medellin. Ms. Lopez was a Trouble Shooter, from 2005 to 2010. Before then, she was an English teacher for the Children’s and Teenager’s Program and Adult and Corporate Program. She has over 12 years of experience working in Education, with di erent social projects, and most recently, undergraduate and post graduate studies.
LUISA MEJÍA Studies Abroad October 15th, 2016 Director of special projects at the Colombo Americano Medellin. She holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Tennessee and has a remarkable experience working as liaison between the Colombo Americano, the public sector, foundations and the U.S. Embassy. She coached MLK Fellow on topics related to fundraising and study abroad programs and the application process. Special Events
QUINTA CONVENCIÓN NACIONAL DE LÍDERES, VOLUNTARIOS Y EX-BECARIOS Digna Paola Mosquera, MLK fellow from Medellin presented in the "Quinta Convención Nacional de Líderes, Voluntarios y Ex Becarios" that took place between August 12 and 14. Digna talked about the role of the Afro-descendant women in our country nowadays. She presented relevant numbers and highlighted the impact of the role that afro American women play in the most important regions of Colombia. Further information about this event will be provided in the special events section of Quibdó.
Digna Paola presenting at the Quinta Convención Nacional de Líderes, Voluntarios y Ex-Becarios in Quibdó, August 12-14 US Speaker Omékongo Dibinga visited the Colombo Americano Medellin on OMÉKONGO September 1st. His talk delved mainly around the concept of education as the key to succeed in life, no matter the e orts and sacri ces it demands, only DIBINGA through education people can transform their lives and achieve personal and positive goals. MLK fellows were invited to attend this interesting talk. Dr. Omékongo giving a presentation at the Centro Colombo Americano
The event was held on November 8th in the gallery of the Colombo Americano ELECTION Medellín. MLK fellows, CHOP students, former ACCESS students, and sta from the Colombo were invited to the event with the purpose of learning more DAY about the two main presidential candidates and how the elections work in the United States. The place was adorned with Election Day decorations such as banners, balloons, posters, and US ags amongst other things. Some of which were provided by the embassy and others that were designed in-house. Both, the leadership and the academic components for this generation of MLK GRADUATION Fellows ended on October 15th. The date chosen for the closing ceremony of the program was December 9th. The fellows invited their families to attend. In CEREMONY addition, the General Director and the Academic Director of the Colombo Americano Medellín attended as well. All fellows received a certi cate of completion or participation in the program.
Fellows from Medellín holding their certi cate
Additionally, ve outstanding students were awarded with vouchers for an international exam which are listed as follows:
HonoraryHo nAcknowledgementsorary Acknowledgements LastLast NNameame FirstFirst NNameame ReasonFor AwardAward Outstanding leadership Skills Cuesta Asprilla Jhon Abelardo TOEFL IBT & GRE & Academic Excellence
Robledo Delgado Cristian Ariel Outstanding Leadership Skills IELTS
Ruiz Hurtado Clara Fernanda Outstanding Leadership Skills TOEFL Ibt
Tapia Palencia Clara Inés Outstanding Effort Award TOEFL
Furthermore, the fellows who volunteered to be tutors of the College Horizons Mentoring Program in which the main aim was to support CHOP students in terms CHOP Mentoring Program Volunteers Cuesta Asprilla Jhon Abelardo Cuesta Mosquera Yénifer Díaz Buenaños Beyfan Moreno Sánchez Yissely Rentería Hernández Leidy Paola Ruiz Hurtado Clara Fernanda
The fellows who received the honorary acknowledgement accompanied by Michael Cooper and Claudia Villa
Fellows Sandra Milena Hoyos and Juan Camilo Urango gave an inspiring speech to their peers and guests (See Annex 1: MLK Fellows Speech – Graduation Ceremony, December 9th, 2016). Quibdó Academic Report The twenty MLK fellows that are participating in the program in Quibdó, this nal semester continued to show positive results in terms of their commitment, dedication and responsibility towards the program. Two of the fellows, Diana Surleidy Córdoba Hurtado and Enny Marlenis Serna Romaña, didn’t complete the six courses programmed during this last semester due to the fact that Diana’s academic level didn’t allow her to nish with the TOEFL course as it was established, and Enny had to travel due to her internship program for her undergraduate degree. Apart from these two cases, the other 18 fellows completed all six courses with very positive academic results and maintaining high GPA’s. The progress made by these fellows in Quibdó has been very positive, and although studying with the same group of classmates during the entire program has its bene ts in terms of motivation and interpersonal competences, the downfalls are evidenced in their sustained di culties when it comes to uency with the language and coherent oral production of more complex language. Despite this, the vast majority of fellows managed to accomplish a C1 level of competency, reinforcement is needed especially with their oral competences. The chart depicted below details their overall performance through the courses taken this semester: COURSES AVERAGE TAKEN GRADE COURSES INSTRUCTION CEF HOURS REMARKS LAST NAME FIRST NAME JUL-DEC JUL-DEC TAKEN LEVEL 2016 2016 (TOTAL) (TOTAL) Withdrawn from the program VALENCIA BONETH ALBERT RICARDO 10 380 A2 0 in September 2015
1 MENA ROMAÑA ANDRÉS FRANCISCO 6 4,3 23 874 C1
2 MOSQUERA MOSQUERA ANYI YICEL 6 4,0 23 874 C1
Withdrawn from the program PALOMEQUE PALOMEQUE AURELIO 0 2 76 A1 in January 2015
0 Withdrawn from the program PALACIOS PALACIOS CARLOS YAIR 2 76 A1 in January 2015 Entered the program in 836 C1 3 OCHOA IBARGUEN DANIEL ALBERTO 6 3,7 22 October 2014
4 ARAMBURO PALACIOS DAVINSON ENRIQUE 6 4,2 23 874 C1
5 CÓRDOBA HURTADO DIANY SURLEIDY 4 3,2 21 798 B2
Quit the program after she 6 SERNA ROMAÑA ENNY MARLENIS 2 3,5 19 722 C1 nished B2 level
Entered the program in GIL COPETE FABIAN GUILLERNO 6 4,9 14 532 C1 7 September 2015
8 LEDESMA PALACIOS GEIDY 6 4,1 23 874 C1
Entered the program in 9 MOSQUERA MOSQUERA JORGE LUIS 6 4,1 21 789 C1 January 2015
Withdrawn from the program ROBLEDO MARTÍNEZ JHON ELVIS 0 8 304 A2 in August 2015
10 MORENO PEREA JUAN CARLOS 6 4,9 23 874 C1
Entered the program in 532 C1 11 MARTÍNEZ HEREDIA LEIDY PAOLA 6 4,4 14 September 2015
12 PALACIOS AGUILAR LEINER ECCEHOMO 6 4,1 23 874 C1
13 CÓRDOBA MORENO LINA MARCELA 6 4,1 23 874 C1
Transferred to Bogotá in BECERRA MARTÍNEZ LINA MARÍA 0 13 494 B1 January 2016
14 HINOJOSA MORENO MAGDA YICED 6 3,7 23 874 C1
15 MARMOLEJO LILOY MILFER 6 4,8 23 874 C1
16 LOZANO TORRES NELSON ENRIQUE 6 4,1 23 874 C1
17 RIVAS GUERRERO SANDRA YULIETH 6 4,4 22 836 C1
18 ROMAÑA MACHADO SHIRLEY 6 4,0 23 874 C1
19 MURILLO RENGIFO WILSON ANTONIO 6 4,5 23 874 C1
Entered the program in 20 RENTERIA MARTÍNEZ YINETH PAOLA 6 4,7 14 532 C1 January 2015
PALACIO RODRÍGUEZ YISIRIS 0 1 38 A1 Dropped out in October 2014 GROUP AVERAGE GRADE 4,2 of English distributed over 23 874 courses taken by MLK fellows during HORAS 2014 and 2016.
MLK Fellows grade average
JULY - DECEMBER 2016
Excellent 46 - 50 5% Very good 40 - 45 45% Good 34 - 39 50% Average 30 - 33 0% Barely adequate Up to 1 - 29 0% High Performing Students
Fabián has been an outstanding student since he entered the program, he has FABIAN shown commitment and excellent language skills. Fabián is studying language teaching at UTCH. Teachers see him as a highly-committed student who is always willing to help his peers and eager to learn. He is also an active leader in GUILLERMO PLAYLEE, a volunteer program Supported by the US Embassy and Partners of the Americas in which the main goal is to teach English to low-income kids in GIL Chocó.
Juan’s attitude and language skills are outstanding. He is currently majoring in JUAN language teaching at UTCH. He has stood out over the course of the MLK program due to his language skills, collaborative attitude and positive sense of humor. Juan is also an active leader of several initiatives in Quibdó such as CARLOS PLAYLEE, a project that involves teaching English to low-income kids. MORENO
Yineth is a great student and leader; she’s highly committed to the program and YINETH participates in several initiatives in Quibdó to help her community. She studies public accounting at Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia. PAOLA RENTERÍA
He is also a language teaching student at UTCH in Quibdó. Teachers report MILFER very positively about him in regards to his language skills and attitude towards his learning process and the MLK Program MARMOLEJO
Wilson has improved a lot in terms of his English skills. The teachers reported WILSON that his commitment and willingness to learn are high, and that he is always ready to help his partners. MURILLO Students with scores over 4.5 are awarded with a certi cate of excellence. This recognition was issued every cycle and posted on MLK groups in social media. These are some samples of the EXCELLENCE certi cates sent during this semester: CARDS
were awarded with certi cates of 10 MLK excellence throughout this semester due to their outstanding academic fellows performance.
Low-Performing Students and Special Cases
Diany was a highly committed student who struggled a lot with the English DIANY language. When she reached course 9, she was sent back to course 5 because her level didn’t meet the level pro ciency standards. She had always passed with the minimum passing score, thus showing her need of extracurricular SURLEIDY activities. She attended tutoring sessions throughout her time in the program. CÓRDOBA Enny quit the program once she reached the B2 level because she had to travel ENNY to another city to do her internship. She was in the tutoring program before she left because the progress shown in course 15 and 16 was not that signi cant. SERNA
Even though teachers reported that it is a pleasure to have Magda in their MAGDA classes, they also said that she showed a lot of di culties when she worked on her own, especially when producing written or oral texts spontaneously. A positive thing to remark is that her motivation and positive attitude towards her HINOJOSA own learning process was evident, and she did her best to improve her language skills.
Progress Made
Ninety- ve percent of the fellows in Quibdó reached in a C1 level (CEFR). The exception is Diany Córdoba who was sent back to a lower course and could reach a B2 level at the end of the program. Leadership Report
Fellows successfully completed the leadership component of the program. The last session was held on June 24 and 25, 2016. Fellows in Quibdó report being very grateful for having the chance to meet real experts in the eld of leadership brought to Quibdó by Fundación Liderazgo y Democracia. Congratulations to this solid group in Quibdó for their full attendance to leadership sessions this year. Special Events
QUINTA CONVENCIÓN NACIONAL DE LÍDERES, VOLUNTARIOS Y EX-BECARIOS 7 MLK fellows participated actively in the "Quinta Convención Nacional de Líderes, Voluntarios y Ex Becarios" that took place in Quibdó on August 12, 13 and 14. Fellow Yineth Rentería was in charge of logistics and organization of the event. In addition, she did a presentation on the foundations created in Quibdó to help low-income kids. Fellow Yineth Rentería was in charge of logistics and organization of the event. In addition, she did a presentation on the foundations created in Quibdó to help low-income kids.
The academic component for this cohort of MLK Fellows ended on December GRADUATION 10th, but the date chosen for the Graduation Ceremony was December 2nd, as the students had already completed the academic goal of the Program: to CEREMONY reach a B2 level in English competencies.
All fellows received a certi cate of completion or participation in the program. Also, two outstanding students were awarded with vouchers for an international exam which are listed as follows:
The MLK fellows invited their families and members of the Coordination team traveled to attend and organize the ceremony: the General Director, Michael Cooper, the Academic Director, Claudia Villa and the Coordination Assistant, Juan Carlos Ruiz.
The fellows couldn’t hide their emotion and excitement during the ceremony, their faces said it all. All fellows received a certi cate of completion or participation in the program. Also, two outstanding students were awarded with vouchers for an international exam which are listed as follows: HonoraryHo nAcknowledgementsorary Acknowledgements LastLast NameName FirstFirst NameName ReasonFor AwardAward Rentería Yineth Paola Outstanding Leadership Skills TOEFL Ibt
Moreno Juan Carlos Outstanding Academic Skills TOEFL Ibt
Fellows Yineth Rentería and Wilson Murillo giving the graduation speech Part III: Conclusions Academic Component
The 2014-2016 cohort of the Martin Luther King Jr. Fellowship Program concludes with a total of 114 fellows graduating nationwide out of the 120 that were originally anticipated. The second half of the year began with 116 fellows. Three fellows from Medellín dropped out of the program during the course of the semester due to extenuating circumstances related to their additional work and university responsibilities. Nevertheless, one of the fellows from Cartagena was agreeably reinstated into the program after having dropped out previously. The results garnered show that the fellows exiting the program range in level from A2 to C1. An outstanding 42% of the fellows reached a C1 level. This group was comprised of fellows from Medellín, Quibdó, and Cartagena. With the highest percentage overall, 47% of the fellows obtained a B2 level. It is important to highlight that all 23 of the fellows from Barranquilla graduated at the B2 level. Subsequently, many of the remaining fellows graduated under the B2 level because they entered the program at a later stage or they encountered some sort of academic di culty along the way as detailed in previous reports.
Barranquilla C ali C a r t a g e n a M e dellín Quibdó Nationwide
C1 5 24 19 48 B2 23 18 11 1 1 54 B1+ 2 2 B1 3 4 7 A2 2 1 3 A1 0 Total of 23 25 20 26 20 114 Students
Overall, the results show a high success rate with the program’s main goal in terms of the academic component. It is a testament to the fellows’ hard work and commitment to the program that such satisfactory results were achieved nationwide. Their academic performance was aided in part by conversation clubs, tutoring sessions, and additional academic activities that allowed them the opportunity to interact with both locals and native speakers such as U.S. Embassy O cers, state department representatives, and fellow university students that they encountered through some of the cultural events. The MLK fellows were proud to demonstrate the language skills they honed over the course of their studies by communicating uently with guests and visitors alike. With the program concluding at the end of this year, every additional e ort was made including but not limited to additional academic support and exible scheduling options to help low-performing students do their best and reach their optimum level. Regardless of these actions, it proved to not be enough for the three fellows that ended up dropping out of the program. Considering these cases, continued e ort will be made to support fellows, especially as they near the end of their university studies, in the hopes to prevent future students from dropping out of the program. The program’s coordinators and mentors at the di erent BNCs are very proud of all the fellows and the work they have accomplished over these two years. The fellows were reminded that although they may have graduated from the program, they will forever remain a part of the Colombo family nationwide and can count on continued support and encouragement from their coordinators, mentors, and additional members of the community that they have built over these two years. Leadership Component
Fellows from Barranquilla, Cartagena and Medellín successfully completed the leadership portion during the second half of the year while Cali and Quibdó nished it during the rst semester of 2016.
In total, 37 hours distributed over 12 leadership activities were o ered during the second semester of the year. Attendance was high in all BNCs, especially in Barranquilla where almost all fellows attended every session. The following chart provides an overall picture nationally of the leadership sessions carried out during this semester:
Hours of Number of Hours attended City leadership activities (average) sessions Barranquilla 4 13 11 Cali Completed the Leadership Component Cartagena 6 18 13 Medellín 2 6 3 Quibdó Completed the Leadership Component Total 12 37 27
Local and international speakers gave workshops and lectures, mainly, about study abroad programs, social responsibility and volunteerism. Additionally, the fellows had the chance to go over the main concepts of ethnicity, sexual diversity and gender equality throughout the two years of the program. The evaluations of the leadership sessions showed that the MLK fellows nationwide were satis ed with the leadership meetings and the topics that were covered. They have expressed their desire to share their knowledge with their community and continue building their leadership skills to start social projects and community initiatives. We expect that fellows will continue working hard to develop their own leadership skills in order to give their best to their communities. We strongly believe that fellows from this cohort will impact the di erent regions were the program was imparted by taking the lead of initiatives and sharing what they learnt during their time in the program. On behalf of the fellows countrywide, the BNCs from Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, Quibdo and Medellín want to say thank you USAID for the unconditional support and for making the dreams of these 114 fellows come true and thus make them better people with better opportunities to change the history of their communities and achieve their goals. MLK FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION NATIONAL COORDINATION COLOMBO AMERICANO MEDELLÍN
Michael James Cooper General Director [email protected]
Claudia Villa Naranjo Academic Director [email protected]
Juan Carlos Ruiz O. Assistant to the National Coordination / Academic Support [email protected]
COLOMBO AMERICANO BARRANQUILLA Edward G. McGrath General Director [email protected]
Juan Pacheco Academic Coordinator / MLK Mentor [email protected]
COLOMBO AMERICANO CALI JoEllen Simpson General Director [email protected]
Beth Bartlett Academic Director [email protected]
COLOMBO AMERICANO CARTAGENA Mario Ramos Vélez General Director [email protected]
Angélica Blanco Asistente de Comunicaciones (MLK) [email protected] ANNEX 1. Medellin MLK Fellows Speech- Graduation Ceremony, December 9th, 2016 By Sandra Hoyos and John Abelardo Cuesta Good morning everybody. You are all welcome to this place. It is a pleasure to be here sharing this special event that gathers us to commemorate the achievement of one important goal in our lives. We are glad to highlight this day as one of remembrance, one to enjoy, celebrate, and acknowledge our perseverance and triumph. Today is one of the most significant days of our lives. One in which we are glad to celebrate that we have finished an amazing experience that has not only changed our present but also provided us with new opportunities to better our future. An amazing experience from which we all have had the chance to get the most of us, and one of which we must be proud of. An experience that has been possible thanks to the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID), The Colombo Americano Center and its entire academic and administrative staff led by Michael Cooper and Claudia Villa, to our families and all those who supported us throughout the whole process – some of them are present in the crowd -. Thus, on behalf of the entire group of fellows of the MLK program 2014-2016, we would like to take advantage of this opportunity to express how grateful we are. Two years ago, we all came here with a bag full of dreams. And, you know what? We came to the right place because we came to the place that has been making dreams come true for 69 years. We came here because we were pursuing those dreams and even if each of us belong to different places, we were bounded together to accomplish a common goal, gathering our strengths to struggle and give support to our communities. I also think that we came to the right place, because in this place we found support, the support we needed, not only to get English proficiency to grow up in our academic and professional aspect; but also to reinforce our leadership skills for keeping struggling and supporting our communities. Dr. King once said, “We may have all come on different ships, but we are in the same boat now”. I believe, this quote could not be any more accurate to describe what this experience has made to us. We are in a boat built with perseverance, faith and courage; this boat that we all built together in these two years has only one destination, freedom! Freedom for us and our communities. By freedom, I mean progress for us and our communities, I mean opportunities for us and our communities and I mean respect for our differences, for our skin color, for our traditions, for our cultural expressions and for the way we think. Now, thanks to this experience, thanks to USAID and to the Colombo Americano center, we have built this boat and it is our responsibility to lead it to that dreamed destination. The fact that we are all here must serve as proof of how big our dreams and achievements might be, once we believe and work on them. The fact that we are all here must serve as proof of our greatness, since we let ourselves dream big, because we know how big our capacities are. The fact that we are all here must serve as a proof that no person has the right to rain on our dreams, since most of us have been told that we were not going to do it, that we were not able, that there were no opportunities for people like us… with what we are celebrating today, we are telling that people that they were wrong, that their words did not stop us and will never stop us; also telling the people that have believed in us, thank you, we will never disappoint you. The fact that we are all here must serve as a proof that we believe in changes, that we believe that things may and will be different, because now we know the history, so now we will change that history. The fact that we are all here must serve as a proof of our commitment, our dedication and our great love to the cultures, the traditions, the beliefs, the lands, the hopes and the peoples that all of us represent. But also, the fact that we are all here must serve as a motivation and a promise to keep working hard, because this is just the beginning, to keep dreaming big, because we are welcome to the history, and to keep fighting for our dreams until the end, or as Dr. King would say, until our eyes will have seen the glory. We are glad today, because we are celebrating that we have achieved our goal… a dream that enables us to see beyond; and therefore, to open our minds and have a wider view of our surroundings. However, we have to highlight that, in the path of getting that dream, facing every moment and situation taught us that not always the right path is the easiest one. Being through that path helped us become aware of the importance of sharing and understanding how different we are, and also of learning how to benefit from those differences to become one single body, a family, one that reflects strong bonds. Today, we are pleased to recognize the effort from each one of you and the importance of counting on your support. Nothing would have been possible without you. Thanks for your encouraging words, your patience and for coming with us to dream. Now, we all can say “we did it! Once again, thanks USAID, thanks Colombo Americano Center, thanks families, thanks for walking with us to reach our dreams.
ANNEX 2. Quibdo MLK Fellows Speech- Graduation Ceremony, December 2nd, 2016 By Yineth Paola Rentería and Wilson Murillo We are absolutely convinced that today, this ceremony marks the end of one of the most important paths we have had in our lives. Fifty years ago, a man in front of a crowd showed to the society, especially to us young people that it is worth it to believe in ourselves, it is worth it to fight for the equality and above all it is worth it to dream, trusting that one day we can be leaders. He has been a role model of what being a leader means one of the greatest leader all over the world and because of him we are here, his legacy has inspired us. His name is Martin Luther King It is time to give thanks to God for his unconditional support every single day and for letting us have this amazing chance. Today is the perfect opportunity to look back over these 2 years to reflect on all that has happened in our lives throughout this long way, filled with unforgettable moments in which we realized that the world is ours. Whose is the world? The world is yours! The world is ours! At the beginning, we were all totally strangers, but we knew that we were together because of being empowered young men and women. Throughout this way, we experienced a bunch of moments, adventures, leadership campaigns, crazy and funny moments; we are not strangers anymore, now we are a family, a fantastic one. Now we can say with great firmness that: We are here because we have overcome all the barriers and obstacles that a world offers us with a little hope. We are here because we have decided to pursue our dreams until our strength is over. None of this would have been possible without people who have been working hard to bring this opportunity to our community, especially to trust in young people. Thanks so much Centro Colombo Americano Medellin, US Embassy, USAID and Fundación Liderazgo y Democracia you have done a great job and now we hope this kind of opportunities carry on in our society; Thanks you for keeping alive the legacy of Martin Luther King through us. All these experiences have allowed us to have the privilege of meeting new people, our teachers who came every weekend to teach us, and it was not only about the English language, but we created a great friendship with them where we learnt about their culture and they learnt about ours; thanks teachers to keep us motivated in this long process. We could not let that this end without say thanks to our family and friends for their unconditional support in this process. Martin Luther King program changed our lives the hard work has paid off. Remember, just like Martin Luther King said If you can´t fly, then run If you can´t run, then walk If you can´t walk, then crawl But whatever you do, keep moving forward.