My story

I was born and raised in Cali Colombia, with a big family full of culture. My grandfather took me to discover folkloric dances, the history of my country and the importance of dance. On the other hand, my grandmother instilled in me strong ethics and discipline, while my mother taught me the value of working hard for the ones you love, placing above all else, the nobility of her heart.

Despite the challenges along the way, my family has been the great fuel to keep me going, they have supported me in every folly, battle, research, or educational decision I have made, in my history are reflected the efforts of generations who have worked tirelessly leaving their mark, helping others. That is the most valuable legacy I carry with me.

When I was only 10 years old, I made the decision that would change my life forever. I decided to make the most of my time, being aware that regret should not be part of my future. Although my mom suggested that I take things little by little, because I was still very young, but it was in that same year, at the Inem school where I was studying, when a psychologist from the Tecnoacademia arrived with the promise of extracurricular courses for young people with potential in innovation and mathematics. She mentioned several options, but my attention was focused on a single word: "robotics". At the time, my knowledge of robots was limited to what I had seen in science fiction movies, a world completely foreign to my life. I did everything in my power to get into that program and learn. Every day I found myself with more unknowns than answers, and it was in that process that I fell head over heels in love with robotics.

From competing in sumo robot and line follower challenges, I moved on to humanoid research projects and the application of artificial intelligence.

My achievements did not go unnoticed, I was invited to research events such as Science Clubs, university internships and even, at only 11 years old, I found myself presenting projects to engineers and scientists with decades of experience. Standing out in this field made me believe that a future as an engineer could be considered a possibility.

It was then when I decided to explore electronics and mechanics, as well as robotics, I would fall in love with these disciplines, I did not want to have to choose only one of them, and it was then when mechatronics engineering presented itself as the solution to my dilemma: I had it all! However, there were the economic limits, since my family did not have the resources to finance my studies, even though the INEM school nominated me as the best high school graduate, which corresponded to a 100% scholarship, the university replied that, due to the pandemic, they did not have the resources to offer me funding. At that moment, I felt that my world was shaking, that my dreams could vanish, but I never gave up. I looked for every possible way to keep going. The solution was loans with the support of my family to start my career.

From the first semester I was accepted in the robotics and autonomous systems seedbed. When they got to know my work, they entrusted me with responsibilities in important projects. Simultaneously, the program director gave me the opportunity to work with him to cover part of the semester. I began to represent the university in prestigious events such as the Latin American Innovation Rally, and the RedCOLSI where I obtained a perfect score of 100/100 in the project of a rover-type vehicle for space exploration.

To identify the best opportunities for my personal and professional growth, I had to maintain constant discipline and responsibility. This determination led me to collaborate with a colleague on a research project for the Julich Institute in Germany on organic solar cells. During that time, I was offered a staff position, which marked an exciting chapter in my career and further motivated me to continue pursuing my dreams with passion.

My Eureka moment came at the age of 13, in the midst of frequent earthquakes, when part of my family moved to Chile. The distance that separated us and the constant threat of earthquakes led me to search for a solution as a passionate dreamer. One day, while thinking about the ancient "sixth sense" that some mothers seemed to have to anticipate dangers, an amazing idea blossomed in my mind. What if it could be translated into a technological solution? I investigated P and S waves, the Earth's seismic whispers, and discovered there was a pattern. With determination, I designed a mechatronic product capable of anticipating telluric movements at least five seconds in advance. My seismic alarm was born at that moment as a technological superpower. It was like an Avengers movie, but in real life. This technology, which combined modern science and ancient wisdom, became a life-saving treasure.

But the story doesn't end there, because when I realized I could do scientific research, at a young age, a powerful thought arose: if STEM disciplines had allowed my dreams to come true, why not use that same power to transform lives? Thus my foundation "Robotic Seeds" was born. The purpose was clear: to make children and young people, who had been touched by violence, fall in love with the wonders of science. As a community, we set out to develop solutions to the problems that affect us directly or indirectly in our daily lives. But now our cause has grown, because we have teamed up with Xori Space Academy, the EdTech startup with which we are not only inspiring the next generation of Latino xplorers, but we are providing them with the tools they need to challenge the limits of space exploration.

In the year 2022, on a day when I had a circuit partial, a moment occurred that changed my life forever. That same day, Mike Hopkins, the NASA astronaut, arrived at the Colombian Space Air Force. I could not miss that historic moment, so I attended the event and anxiously awaited his arrival.

When I finally had the opportunity to approach him, I shared with him my dream of becoming an astronaut. Nimbly, I expressed my desire and he graciously gave me some valuable advice. Inspired by his words, I began to weave opportunities to follow my path as an aspiring astronaut.

That path led me to José David Villanueva, the captain of analog missions, who helped us get to AATC, which has an agreement with ESA (European Space Agency) in Poland. There, my training and preparation began, following in the footsteps of that astronaut who one day crossed my path and left an indelible mark in my heart.

In the fascinating environment of outer space, astronauts face constant risks in their quest for scientific breakthroughs. But what if we could harness technology to lessen those risks and improve the quality of life for our brave explorers?

I have developed an automation system that allows mushroom crops to be monitored in real time from any device, while teaching intuitive graphs that are understandable enough for anyone, even without mycology experience, to detect potential risks in the crop. This advance not only simplifies life for astronauts, but significantly reduces the risk of extravehicular activities (EVA).

Thus, my dream of exploring space became a reality for now analogous, full of challenges, learning and perseverance. Every day, I continue to work to reach for the stars and, someday, to be able to look at the Earth from the International Space Station, as Mike Hopkins did.