Universidad Mayor de Cartagena invited former Bolles Resident Life student and rower Juan Tomás Vásquez Salas ’28—now back in his native Colombia—to speak this summer about his experience as a student-athlete and help shape the institution’s sports education and athlete development initiative.

As part of that process, representatives from Colombia's Ministry of Education visited the university to evaluate and support the proposed program and hear from Vásquez Salas about his unique perspective on how sports can shape character, leadership, discipline and educational opportunity.

Vásquez Salas’ message focused on how sports can open doors for young people, create pathways to higher education, encourage international exchange and inspire personal growth. He shared how exposure to excellence, high standards and a culture of leadership can have a lasting impact on a student's life.

His parents wrote: “What made the moment especially meaningful for us was not simply that he was speaking about rowing, but that he was able to represent values that have been deeply reinforced through his experience at Bolles… As parents, we were especially grateful to see how many of the lessons he has learned at Bolles—integrity, discipline, perseverance, humility and service—are now influencing others in our community thousands of miles away. In many ways, his participation reflected not only his own journey, but also the positive impact that Bolles has had on shaping the young man he is becoming.”