From Think Twice ambassador to OAS scholarship recipient!
At one point Luis Fernando Moncada was a new face in our community. As usually happens, young people connect with the cause and join the "Think Twice" campaign. In his case, he learned about the campaign at a meeting of organizations in Tegucigalpa. Messages about regular migration and the safe pursuit of educational opportunities abroad resonated with him.
Over time his commitment grew, he received training on migration issues and capacity building from the ThinkTwice ambassador program. In fact, he is one of the most consistent young people as he has been an active ambassador since 2020.
Luis Fernando Moncada has participated and led multiple activities of the campaign in Tegucigalpa, among them: the creative processes for the audiovisual products such as the video manifesto and the videoclip in 2021. In addition, he took part in the launching of the campaign in 2021 as a speaker of the youth panel discussion, while in 2022 he co-hosted the event with ambassador Evelyn Reyes. Both presented the campaign and its theater-forum at the Manuel Bonilla National Theater. That day, he shared the campaign with students, organizations and government entities and demonstrated other acquired skills such as public speaking with a large audience and media.
We are excited to see the evolution of Luis Fernando, and how he has taken advantage of the tools that have empowered him even to compete for a high-level scholarship. Luis Fernando tells us about his process:
"I had very much in mind to study a Master's Degree in Human Resources, a long time ago there were doubts about how to apply to a secure website to opt for a study opportunity like the one that has been presented to me, I took very seriously how I should look for secure information and thanks to the campaign I understood how to find valuable information. So, in January I chose to apply through the Organization of American States (OAS), where I perceived a safe place for a scholarship and I was able to apply, I am also very grateful to the campaign since it contributed a lot to enrich my resume, which was a key factor to be selected for the scholarship".
The news of Luis Fernando being awarded a scholarship by the OAS makes us happy. We are celebrating with you, and we hope that your story will inspire more young people to work with discipline and enthusiasm to achieve their dreams.
There are many opportunities, the important thing is to look for them in reliable places and go through the necessary process to obtain a scholarship. Fernando shares with us, "For me it is a dream that came true, a process of much waiting, which has been worth it, (...) it all depends on how to be informed safely".
Nothing is instantaneous, but effort and commitment pay off!
If you are interested in becoming an ambassador for the #Piénsalo2Veces campaign, you can send an email to César Lainez clainez@iom.int or send a Whatsapp message to +504 3303-1692 for joining the team in Honduras, Ana Peñate mpenate@iom.int in El Salvador, or Cecilia Tiu in Guatemala ctiu@iom.int Please write in the subject line: I want to be an ambassador!