by Nathaniel Whelan
“For me, it is an honour to have been a Raven this semester.”
While most people leave Ottawa for warmer climates during the cold months, Fredy Benavides Vivas spent the winter term at Carleton University. Fredy is a business administrator and a master’s student in Public Policy at the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia, which is well known for its research capacity.
Back in 2021, Fredy began thinking about applying for funding to conduct research abroad as part of his master’s thesis and to improve his academic and professional profile. With help from the International Mobility Coordinator in Colombia and her counterpart here at Carleton, he applied to the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP), and was awarded in May 2022. He found out this news just like everyone else, when his university announced that he was one of the recipients of this highly competitive scholarship.
Funded by the Government of Canada, the ELAP program provides students from post-secondary institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean with short-term exchange opportunities for study or research at a Canadian institution. The purpose of these scholarships is to develop the next generation of leaders in the Americas and to strengthen Canada’s linkages with universities in the region.
Since 2012, Carleton has hosted 52 ELAP recipients.
Fredy arrived in Ottawa on a cold day at the end of January 2023. When asked about his initial reaction, he said:
“My enthusiasm for Carleton actually began during the application process, with the search for a host institution. [It was] the best option in my field, for everything that this university represents in Political Science… Today, I’m so happy to be part of this amazing university… I feel in love with Canada, with Ottawa and Carleton. The Faculty of Public Affairs, they have made me feel at home.”
In regard to his research, as Fredy explains it, there are two parallel truths. On the one hand, Canada needs qualified professionals for most of its sectors, especially in health, and on the other, there are professionals from Spanish-speaking regions in Latin America who want to be part of the Canadian labour force. His research proposes a prospective bridge between these two realities, one that derives from public policies and governmental action, and benefits both Canadians and Latin American professionals.
Fredy’s background includes being a consultant in thesis development, which has had an enormous impact on his own graduate studies, and the student leader in the Faculty of Administration Sciences at the Universidad del Valle.
His connection to the internationalization process began while he was part of the Superior Council, which he won through popular election in 2010. In this position, he gave political and technical support to the international direction of his home university.
Even though this is his first time as a visiting scholar, Fredy recognizes the importance of international mobility to create and share new knowledge, as well as the work that’s done behind-the-scenes to bring these opportunities to fruition. “It is so necessary that people know the efforts made by Carleton University and EduCanada to have remarkable internationalization processes, and that those of us who come from abroad have access to them,” he said, speaking as an ELAP recipient.
Fredy attributes many of his positive experiences coming to and staying in Canada to the operational staff back home and here at Carleton. It is no surprise that he would take time to point this out as he is someone who deeply values hard work and is always grateful for whatever opportunities come his way.
“I come from a humble family where all the goals in our lives have been achieved with a lot of effort and sacrifice. For example, me being here means being alone and away from my wife and family, but this experience is wonderful for me. All effort and sacrifice have recompense.”
As with most international travel, being in Canada has provided Fredy with benefits beyond his research. He’s taking classes to improve his English and learning all about the historical architecture of downtown Ottawa, which he says feels like being in a fairy tale. He’s also caught a soccer game at TD Place, has been welcomed by the Catholic community, and hopes to connect with the local Latin American community as well before going back to Colombia in early July.
Fredy admits that he’s so taken with the city that he’s considering pursuing his PhD at Carleton, but until then, he hopes to graduate with a Master’s in Public Policy and looks forward to being reunited with his family.
You can follow Fredy on Twitter.