Mastercard Foundation Scholar at EARTH University, Leidy Tatiana Pérez (Class of 2027, Colombia) was a teenager when she learned how to milk cows, raise chickens, and design a vegetable garden. It was her father who taught her, eager for her to understand rural life and how food is produced. Although things weren’t always easy, like when her hands would go numb while milking and she would get only a little milk, Leidy grew fond of the agricultural world.
Leidy thought she was going to study medicine and specialize in dermatology, but thanks to the support of a teacher who guided her in her vocational journey, she realized that Agricultural Sciences could be the foundation for a successful career with hundreds of possibilities. Then she learned about EARTH University. There was no doubt: she wanted that to be her life path.
After a nerve-wracking admissions process, filled with waiting, she was selected to join the Class of 2027. She was thrilled when she found out she received support from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. “When I found out I had been accepted, it was so emotional—I even cried. My parents cried. It was really beautiful,” she recalls with a smile. Today, she’s in her first year of studies and already knows her interests lie in livestock farming, precision agriculture, and community development. She firmly believes that all of these areas can be intertwined to create projects that improve people’s lives and promote animal welfare.
In high school, Leidy developed a project about laying hens and learned how to raise and care for these birds. Later, she volunteered with a small egg producer in her community who had about 300 hens. This was a learning experience for her, both personally and professionally, and she realized how these types of projects, on different scales, can give people greater food sovereignty and security.
Her first year at EARTH has pleasantly surprised her, especially with the use of technology, such as drones, and the work students do in the community supporting various farming areas. Leidy dreams of applying everything she is learning when she returns to her community, contributing to projects that promote sustainability in agriculture and improve livestock farming practices in her region. She is the first person in her family to attend university, and she feels that this is the first step toward opening many new doors, not only for her but for everyone around her.
Her campus life has been a combination of studies, new experiences, and new human connections. Despite being far from home, she has found in EARTH a place where she can grow both personally and professionally. Leidy understands that being a rural woman and a professional in Agricultural Sciences comes with challenges, but also great opportunities. And she moves forward, without hesitation, with the hope of fulfilling one dream after another.