Inspiring Women from Colombia
by Maria Jose
Maria Jose, our Young Ambassador to Colombia, writes about inspiring women from her country. We learn about exceptional role models that worked in fields as diverse as Aerospace Engineering, Ballet and Microbiology, but they all have something in common: they broke down all stereotypes and accomplished things that seemed impossible before.
“Learning about scientists, artists, geologists, and more is a way in which we can get inspiration and grasp that everything is possible.”
I am Maria Jose, the Young Ambassador for Inspiring Girls Colombia. Often, we hear about important people across our globe, people who have made incredible accomplishments or discoveries, people who have helped our world, people who are inspiring. Nevertheless, in this text I would like to focus not only on important people or even women, but on important Colombian women. I hope this brings inspiration to many young girls, enabling them to see their capabilities and how far their dreams can go. After all, as Michelle Obama once said “ There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish”. These are three inspiring Colombian women.
Angela Restrepo
Angela was born in 1931 in Medellín, Colombia. From a young age she had a deep passion for science, more specifically, for biology, and so she decided to pursue a career in microbiology. This career included roles such as being a researcher, scientist, and teacher. Despite the stereotypes which were significantly dominant at the time within her community, Angela worked hard on research regarding diseases caused by fungus, their diagnosis, and their treatment. All of this after receiving an excellent education in Colegio Mayor de Antioquia (Where she studied Medical Technology) and, afterwards, in Tulane University (Where she received her masters degree). Thankfully, her hard work payed off, after all, she received multiple awards for her work, such as: The recognition as a Founding Member of the Colombian Association of Infectious Diseases, the Founders Distinction of the Society of Tropical Medicine, the Life and Work Award to Emeritus Researchers of Colombia, and multiple more. Even though Angela passed away in 2022, her story is truly inspiring and is irrefutable proof that, despite the conditions one might be in, it is vital to continue dreaming, as dreams do come true!
Sonia Osorio
Sonia was born in 1928 in Bogota, Colombia. She was the international ambassador for Colombian folklore, as a result, she was able to officially fund nacional ballet in the country. In order to do this, Sonia was able to transfer the knowledge she had gained when visiting the United States to her home country, leading to the official installment of the acclaimed dance in 1973. Due to her hard work, the national ballet was able to reach gigantic scales, performing in cultural events all around the world, including but not limited to: New York, Rome, São Paulo, Paris, Miami, and Tokyo. In addition to this, Sonia’s talent and effort was continuously praised, receiving multiple awards such as the First place in the Russian Summer Festival, the Prize at the third Tarragona International Festival, the Artist of the year according to Cromos Magazine, the Medal of honor Cuban colony in Miami, and countless more. To note, asides from the huge accomplishments and talent Sonia had in the dance spectrum, she also excelled in design and periodism. The story of Sonia is breathtaking as the fact that she was able to introduce a whole new concept to her country and succeed greatly is unimaginable and vivid confirmation that everything is possible for young girls.
Adriana Ocampo
Adriana was born in 1955 in Barranquilla, Colombia. She is a Colombian Planetary Geologist who obtained her degree from California State University in Los Angeles and then finished her Phd in the Netherlands. Nowadays, Adriana is the director of the NASA science program and is continuously making new discoveries. For instance, alongside with her team, she recently explored a crater near Cali, Colombia; with the topic of new impact craters being of great interest to her. In addition to this, it is evident that Adriana is very talented and intelligent, and this is something that is widely recognised. This is due to the fact that she has received multiple awards, for instance, she was named by the Mexican Women's Commission of Los Angeles as the Woman of the Year in Science, she received the Advisory Council for Women Award at JPL in science and technology, and she was honored at the Latin America Lifetime Awards for her inspiring legacy as a scientist. Without a doubt, Adriana is an inspiring woman that demonstrates how females can thrive in all fields!
Personally, as a young ambassador, learning about these Colombian women is truly inspiring for me. This is because, the representation women get around the world is often not large, however, learning about scientists, artists, geologists, and more is a way in which I, and other girls, can get inspiration and grasp that everything is possible. Furthermore, these women are not only successful women, but also, they are successful Colombian women. Due to this, being able to learn and teach about them is greatly important for me because it enables me to create representation, a representation that I know young Colombian girls can truly value as it proves that Colombian women are capable of everything and it displays a range of females that can serve as great role models. Finally, showcasing these amazing Colombian women is important for me as it not only allows me to break female stereotypes but also Colombian stereotypes, both ideas that are unfortunately still prominent across the globe.
In conclusion, these Colombian women, and many more, have accomplished unimaginable things and so should bring great inspiration to young girls such as myself. From being amazing scientists, introducing new dances, or working at prestigious institutions such as NASA, every story has an inspiring element in it and I hope that it showcases how, despite circumstances or stereotypes, everything is possible for a young girl when there is motivation, tenacity, and resilience.