Mateo began his presentation by telling the club more about himself.  His first language is English because even though he was born in Columbia, he lived in the United States for 8 years after he was born.  Once he moved back to Columbia, he had to learn to become fluent in Spanish which took a few years.  In Columbia, high school ends in 11th grade but Mateo wanted to continue his education.  He went to Canada and completed 12th grade in Calvary.  Due to financial constraints, he wasn't able to continue his collegiate career in Canada.  He moved back home to Columbia and enrolled in Architecture School at the University of Columbia.  Mateo's brother was a former GRSP student and encouraged Mateo to apply.  Mateo said that Rotary has become a part of his family.  

 

Mateo then talked about Columbia and how he would like to change people's perspective of his country.  When most people think of Columbia, their first thought is drugs and drug cartels.  However, there is so much more to Columbia than that.  Mateo talked about the river of seven colors, festival of flowers, rich minerals, and wildlife.  He says that Columbian's are very welcoming and invited us all to visit.