The University
of Edinburgh
Francisco Alvarez is a 4th year International Relations and Quantitative Methods student at the University of Edinburgh. He has been part of the Forum’s team for the last three editions, as Secretary followed by Head of Logistics in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Currently he is holding the presidency of the committee.
Francisco comes from Ecuador and has a deep interest in international politics and passion for Latin America. He is a strong believer in the capacity of networking spaces for the sharing and inception of new ideas. Francisco is aware of the problems of the region. Yet, an optimist, Francisco believes that much can be done and that change is just a matter of work and evolution. For each problem in a Latin American country, there is a brain to solve it.
Francisco has witnessed the evolution of the Forum and has great expectations for the future. In his view, the Forum should come to be a signature event of the University of Edinburgh, where the speakers of greatest importance and the Latin American international students all over the UK will find a place where they can interact and engage in productive work.
Contact information:
www.linkedin.com/in/francisco-alvarez-statistics/
franciscoalvarez2295@gmail.com
+44 785 054 7535
FRANCISCO ALVAREZ
President
Mimy is a proud Peruvian currently finalizing her Politics (MA) Hons undergraduate degree at the University of Edinburgh. She is the Vice President of the Edinburgh Latin American Forum 2020. Her vision for this edition is to ensure gender, cultural and professional diversity in an interesting conversation on sustainability issued focused on Latin American experiences.
She is an avid believer and propeller of development and social responsibility and has pursued this interest through different internships and volunteer opportunities in Peru. With this in mind, she has always been interested in opening the doors of Latin America to the world and vice versa thus the interest of conducting a forum where knowledge can be shared between different and varied experts with a range of perspectives.
After graduating Mimy plans to continue her adventure away from home for a few more years to learn about different cultures and solutions she can use to contribute to Peru’s improvement. She believes that through communication and common knowledge Latin America can thrive in an ever-changing globalized world as well as provide various solutions and improvements to those who are interested in our experience and knowledge.
Contact information:
www.linkedin.com/in/mimyramirez/
+44 7491 4949 2
MIMY RAMIREZ
Vice-President
Paula Bernal is a third-year International Relations MA (Hons) student at the University of Edinburgh and the Head of Finances of the Latin American Forum 2020.
Paula was born and raised in Manta, Ecuador, where she fostered her fond interests in global affairs during high school. Particularly, in international cooperation, after participating as a Commissioner in the European Union Model hosted by the University San Francisco, Quito for two consecutive years.
As First-Year Representative and then President of the Latin American Society in 2017 and 2018, respectively, Paula has shown a strong commitment to portraying the cultural richness of the region to the rest of the world, as the Society's international members incremented, over nine months, to record numbers. She believes that collaboration and social responsibility are essential for building a strong community, thus the reason why she promoted partnerships between several Latin American-owned businesses in Edinburgh.
She wishes to use the Forum's platform to encourage like-minded students, academics and members of the public and private sector to engage in interdisciplinary discussions around the region's critical issues, as she is confident that Latin America's sustainable development can be boosted through cooperation.
Contact information:
+44 7397 132 028
Ali is currently a 4th year Politics student at the University of Edinburgh and the Head of Logistics for the Latin American Forum 2020. He was previously a volunteer at the Forum in 2019, which led him to join the 2020 committee. Having lived most of his life in Dubai before moving to the west coast of Canada to finish his schooling and is current in Scotland, he has always sought to understand different cultures. The Forum’s focus on the sustainability of one of the world’s key ecological regions, combines Ali’s passion for sustainability and promoting diversity when discussing the issues in Edinburgh.
Ali aspires to transform ELAF to a platform that goes beyond an academic platform and instead focuses on promoting and implementing change. Most importantly, ensuring it continues to act as a platform where contemporary issues of Latin America can be discussed by experts from all industries. His experiences with Latin America include a focus on the International Political Economy of the region and a recognition for the rising importance of preserving the region’s ecology.
Contact information:
ali.alhamadani96@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/ali-alhamadani/
PAULA BERNAL
Head of Finance
Rosana is currently 4th year International Relations and International Law student at the University of Edinburgh. Rosana is Dutch and Spanish, born in Monaco. Having lived in such a cosmopolitan country for the majority of her life, it has sparked curiosity and interests in cultures, politics and civilizations from all around the world.
After joining the Latin American Society as Social Director in 2018, her interests over the Latin American region pushed her to join the Latin American Forum as she believes it is a successful platform to convey issues and diversified perspectives of the issues present in the region.
Contact information:
www.linkedin.com/in/rosana-bembom-003409194/
+44 7491 208802
ROSANA BEMBOM
Marketing Director
Daniel is a half Ecuadorian, half Chilean MSc student in Signal Processing and Communications at the University of Edinburgh and he is the IT Director of the 2020 Forum Committee.
Aware of social inequality, Daniel volunteered during his adolescence in Ecuador as an effort to bring positive social impact to children and young people from rural communities through arts workshops and sports. He then did an internship in an eco-tourism company which provides many job opportunities for locals and aims to boost the economy of the community.
After being awarded a full scholarship, Daniel obtained his BEng Degree in Mechatronic Engineering at the University of Manchester. During his time in the UK, Daniel was inspired by the rising use of 3D printing technologies and its contribution to several industries. Particularly, how the prosthetics sector has reduced the cost of bionic hands, which are now affordable for the public in general. As part of this, Daniel has focused his undergraduate and postgraduate studies towards 3D printed bionic hands to soon bring these technologies to Latin America and provide the necessary treatments to the socio-economic sectors in need.
Contact information:
www.linkedin.com/in/danielgranjaconejeros/
danielgranjaconejeros@gmail.com
+44 749 289 9938
DANIEL GRANJA CONEJEROS
IT Director
From Belo Horizonte, Brazil Julia is a third-year International Relations(MA) student at the University of Edinburgh. Growing up in the city of São Paulo and attending an international school for most of her life, Julia has always been interested in both her own culture as well as the culture of her peers and how these cultures are portrayed and perceived in the international community.
Latin America plays an integral role in Julia’s identity, and she is dedicated to being a part of an inclusive and sustainable solution to the many unique problems it faces. She aims to focus her future studies and professional experiences on promoting social equity through sustainable development and the empowerment of marginalised communities.
Having joined the forum this year Julia is excited to bring a Brazilian perspective to the table and promote connection between Latin American countries and individuals. A firm believer in education as a fundamental aspect of development she believes the forum fulfils an important role in facilitating knowledge-sharing, creating a space for innovative problem-solving, and promoting the region.
Contact information:
+44 7921 075295
JULIA CARREIRO ROLIM
Treasurer
IÑAKI GOÑI
External Operations Manager
Iñaki is half Argentinian, half French and has lived in London for most of his life. Having had experienced multiple languages and cultures from a young age, he strives to promote cultural understanding. Having spent the last 2 years at an international college, Iñaki reconnected to his Argentinian roots due to a strong Latin American community and now hopes to promote this beautiful region.
Iñaki is a first year student at the University of Edinburgh studying Ancient and Medieval History. He advocates sustainability and social responsibility and the importance of education to allow their spread. He has joined the Social Development Association in order to make more of a difference here at the University.
Having joined the committee this year, he is trying to learn the tools of the trade to hopefully keep the forum going in following years. Iñaki hopes that the forum will be a place to strike discussion and help with the understanding of Latin America. He believes that this underrepresented and often overlooked region can be seen it different a light, through the perspective of sustainability, a facet rarely visited by mainstream media.
Contact information:
+44 753 003 6045