WHA Alumni Update: Peru
Marco Antonio Bustamante Yupanqui, Colorado State. After completing my experience with UGRAD, innumerable doors have opened for me. During my final semesters at my home university I received a grant from the Alumni Engagement Initiative to implement a natural resource conservation project in the Andean region of Lima. Because I am conscious of and interested in climate change and the future emerging for green markets, I pursued a research project with community support regarding carbon sequestration of plantations located in the northwest region of Peru.
After I graduated as valedictorian I started working in the Environment and Biodiversity section of the well-known multinational oil and gas company called Repsol. With the expertise that I developed surrounding environmental impact assessment, monitoring procedures, and ecological restoration, I moved to a new position at the first Peruvian B Corporation, Nature Services Peru, which is dedicated to strengthening the sustainable management of ecosystems in order to reduce risks for both owners of natural assets and investors in ecosystems. In my position as project coordinator, I’m leading a forest carbon initiative in Madre de Dios, which is one of the most culturally and biologically diverse areas on the planet, to sell environmental credits, whose money is redirected into the community for their well-being based on sustainable forest management.
Diego Nicolas Uriarte Caceres, University of Utah. After the completion of the program, I continued my studies and now I am a successful Process Engineer working at Peru’s largest refinery. I’m looking forward to going to Central America to visit some UGRAD fellows, especially my Guatemalan UGRAD “brother” Diego Guzmán.
Ana Cristina Becerra Salas, Humboldt State University. After the amazing experience as a UGRAD, I realized that I wanted to give my career, Forestry, a new direction. Instead of focusing in forest management or industry, I wanted to get involved in projects that promote the sustainable use of natural resources to actively reduce poverty and achieve social inclusion. So, after graduating, I kept studying and I had the opportunity to be part of international training programs in Belgium and Russia, and to learn about the importance of multidisciplinary skills for development. Since I’ve experienced the benefits of studying abroad, I now want to start a project that helps Peruvian students with the process of getting a scholarship. A lot of people don’t even consider applying because they think it’s too hard. Some others are not informed about the opportunities there are for us, so I hope my experience can be of use.