Presentation for IE University

1. Andrés
Palacio Trujillo

2. Who Am I?
u 18 year old Colombian student
u Passionate about politics, international relations, laws, and football
u Deputy Head boy, President of the Student Council, Prefect, and
Peer to Peer Mentor in the Anglo Colombiano School
u Proud of my identity and my country
u Love reading different books, and learning about the coffee of my
country
u Handworker, devoted and perseverant

3. A difficult situation
u Back when I was a teenager, I had very rough 2
years in which I felt very badly about myself
u I was suffering from overweight, my grades and
academic achievements where very low, my sister
was diagnosed with bipolarity, I was starting to feel
depressed, and I was in risk of not even being
accepted as a candidate in the IB diploma
u All of this made me really insecure about myself, as
I felt that I was not valuable enough, and that I
really did not have any visible talents
u I was raised with the idea that I had a very good
emotional intelligence and that I was very talented
and intelligent, but frankly I did not feel that way
Me with 12 years suffering of overweight

4. How did this challenging situation
affect me?
u While in this challenging situation, I felt very lost and with no clear
path towards the future
u I needed constant academic support in order to achieve the
minimum requirements in school
u My academic averages where always very basic and with very low
grades
u I wanted to leave the school as I believed I was not capable to
reach my goals and the minimum academic requirements

5. What helped me overcome the
challenging situation?
u I remember the day my friends and classmates where extremely
happy when receiving their IB subject recommendations, when I
opened my paper I had no recommendations meaning I was not
going to be a candidate for the diploma
u This meant that 12 years of preparation for the diploma where
about to be lost
u Even in my favorite subjects like history I did not get a
recommendation
u That was the worst weekend I’ve ever had, and was the catalyst
that led to me “waking up” and realizing that I had to change
many things.

6. What did I do to overcome the
situation?
u I realized that I was a person that depended on excuses and
accusations towards people, making me believe that everything and
everyone was against me, and that I was not successful because of the
actions of someone else
u This made me very mediocre, and indistinct towards my learning
u Once I realize this, I immediately changed my routines and my negative
habits
u I started to exercise constantly in the gym, I started to eat food that will
support my learning and make me a healthier and positive person
u I began to follow people like Arnold Schwarzenegger which reminded
me the importance of hard work and giving your maximum every day

7. The main event
that changed my
way of thinking
u While I was making a huge effort
in school and I was becoming a
healthier and positive person I
found a passion for politics
u When I started to participate in
the politics class at school, there
were presidential elections in
Colombia, making me find an
interest for politics
u I decided to buy the two books of
the popular candidates at the
time.
u When I read the books I learned
many concepts that helped me
to consolidate my understanding
of politics
u This made me someone that
really cared about politics,
improving my grades and making
me consolidate my passion

8. The start of my path to success
u As my passion for politics started to grow, I decided to join the political
party of the current president of Colombia
u In this journey I discovered that one of my dreams is becoming
president of Colombia. This may sound very unrealistic and idealistic but
this is what motivates me to work hard every day, as I see it as a
chance to serve my country
u As I got more interested in politics, I started to read more and more until
it become a habit and a hobby. Once I started to read every day I
realized I was becoming a more knowledgeable person, with more
intellectual capacities, and with a positive approach to learning
u Also as I was exercising and eating correctly I was feeling with lots of
energy and positivism, something that helped me have the best
attitude possible

9. The day in which my
effort was rewarded and
the rise of a leader
u The last day of 9th grade I was awarded “Best in
Form” which means I obtained the best academic
results in my group
u This was one of my biggest achievements, as it
rewarded all of my effort and my change in attitude.
u This award represents that change is possible when
you work hard, as in the first semester of 9th grade I
was failing 2 subjects, and my average was of 4.6/7.
Once I understand that I was in a critical situation I
change my attitude and after months of dedication I
pass from failing 2 subjects to having 3 with the
highest score (7), winning the best in form award,
and being elected as Peer to Peer Mentor

10. Who am I today, after this
challenging situation?
u After I learned that the only limit to your dreams is negativism and
excuses, I continued working hard and naturally I’ve had successful and
happy years
u With dedication and effort I managed to be elected as Prefect, and
Deputy Head Boy a distinction that is only given to 1 student in the
whole grade which represents the values of the school, and is a role
model for the students
u I managed to be elected as Vice-President and President of the
student council in 10th and 11th grade respectively
u I obtained the fitness results I worked hard for
u Now the next dream I am following is becoming a world leader, with an
international, multicultural, and globalized perspective, with the help of
IE university