I am half Ecuadorian, half British, born in Guayaquil, spent my childhood years in Harare, Zimbabwe, most of my life in Bristol, and now I live in Uppsala, Sweden. I am 25, and currently finishing up my sustainable development MSc. I work at Uppsala University at Cemus – we were recently nominated for the Unesco education prize. It’s a unique department, with a progressive structure that focuses on student-led education. Cemus tries to deconstruct the “institutionalised and prescriptive” form of academic education that, I dare say, plagues education.
In my spare time you’ll either find me reading or outdoors, rock climbing, swimming or running. I am incredibly passionate about social justice, the environment and equality. Though new to my field, I am encouraged by the experiences I’ve had so far. I was recently humbled to attend the official G7 youth summit in Tokyo, as EU delegate for sustainable development. Last summer I interned at the UNFCCC, went to COP21 in Paris and took part in several protests. Despite not being an activist, I strongly believe in the need to take the democratic rights that have been fought for by previous generations to actively try to create a world with justice and equality as its heart.
I started reading the Guardian in my first year at the University of Leeds. I recall the relief I felt when I read the comment and feature sections. Articles by George Monbiot and Owen Jones seemed to articulate much of what I felt. I do not come from a privileged background and growing up we never spoke about politics, or news; the Guardian helped to fill this spot and significantly contributed to my political education. The Guardian provides much-needed diversity within the British, and indeed global, monopolised news market, speaking up for the silent majority. I often don’t trust mainstream media; the misrepresentations and lack of diversity within the organisations are mirrored in their lack of perspective and empathy. Although the Guardian is on a completely different scale to such publications, I would like to see a wider variety of writers from different backgrounds.
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