Class XVI (2018-2019)

9. Isabella Sinisterra Beron

Sponsor Club: 4281

Host Club: Planetarium, District 9600

 

Isabella Sinisterra Beron was born thirty years ago in one of the world’s most violent cities:

Cali, Colombia, referred to by loving residents as “Heaven’s Local Office” She later moved to Bogotá, Colombia’s capital, to acquire skills and knowledge to support her hometown’s struggle against violence and impunity. This is how she came to study Political Science and, later, to undertake a Master’s in Public Policy at La Universidad de los Andes.

Isabella has six years of experience in security policy implementation and analysis of the Colombian armed conflict. During this time, she worked with the Colombian government in the President’s Office for Security and Coexistence, coordinating with different United Nations agencies.  Thanks to her job, she had the opportunity to get to know the rural areas across the country and the real effects of the armed conflict on these communities.

In 2016, when Isabella was selected as a Rotary Peace Fellow, her country had just signed a peace agreement with the FARC, the largest guerrilla group in the continent. To help in this historic process, she joined the UN Mission in Colombia as a Liaison Officer in Villavicencio, one of the regions most affected by the conflict. Her tasks were related to verification of the bilateral ceasefire, the FARC-EP disarmament process, the verification of the FARC’s reincorporation process, and security guarantees for the communities and ex-combatants. As someone who grew up in a country immersed in armed conflict, Isabella has a strong passion for reducing violence and contributing to peace-building processes.