UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — An epiphany led Jeferson Tenorio to began a journey that would take him from Cali, Colombia, to locations all around the world — and eventually landing him at the Penn State School of International Affairs (SIA).
A native of Cali, Tenorio used the phrase “invisible borders of violence” to describe the dangerous circumstances facing many African communities in that country. Tenorio — who has Congolese heritage — has experienced and witnessed the tragic results of those unseen but ever-present boundaries, he said, including the death of his brother, who was killed for the simple act of buying milk in the wrong neighborhood.
In the wake of his brother’s death, rather than seeking retribution, or accepting despair, Tenorio embraced altruism, he said.
“I realized that something within me changed, and I decided that I want to do something for my community,” Tenorio said. “From that moment I said I don’t know how, but I’m going to find a way and I am going to be a different person. I am going to change my reality.”
Origins of a Leader
Throughout his youth, Tenorio said, he worked odd jobs to help support his family — selling candy in the street, carrying baggage, singing in buses for tips, recycling old cans and bottles for money. Determined to go to college, he worked construction with his father day and night—whenever he wasn’t in class or studying — to help pay the way.
His hard work and sacrifice led to a bachelor’s degree in modern languages from Universidad Santiago de Cali in 2014. It was during his undergraduate degree that Tenorio got his first big break: a Martin Luther King Fellowship from the U.S. Department of State in 2011, awarded to individuals of African descent and/or from indigenous communities to study English and participate in a leadership course.
As he grew and developed as a student and a leader, he said, Tenorio began looking for ways to give back to his community in Colombia.
WATCH YouTube short: Jeferson Tenorio - What is Success?
Collaboration and Community
Tenorio said he was acutely aware that the majority of youth in Colombia, especially those from African and indigenous backgrounds, had severely limited opportunities to prosper and pursue their goals. The displacement and marginalization of African communities in Colombia, Tenorio said, has led to a lack of education, food and opportunities, and increased violence.
With these needs in mind, Tenorio in 2012 co-founded Fundación Bochinche, a nonprofit working with vulnerable youth in Cali, Colombia, on human rights, sexual reproductive health, climate change, and leadership.
He said his work with the foundation was a learning experience in many ways.
“I didn’t know how [to create a foundation], but I knew how to find the right people and convince them to be part of it,” Tenorio said.
Despite his inexperience, the foundation became a prominent organizing force in Cali — thanks in large part to his initiative, ingenuity, and ability to mobilize support, said Tenorio.
“The real purpose of everything is collaboration, and from that we can work together and make things happen,” he said.
WATCH: Jeferson Tenorio - Moment to Shape International Relations
While his work with the foundation helped make an impact locally, said Tenorio, it also opened pathways for him to expand his global experiences; as a representative of Fundación Bochinche, he traveled to Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates, and participated in meetings at the United Nations.
Tenorio also continued to seek out and earn additional opportunities over the coming years, including his first trip to the U.S. for the Ultimate Life Summit in Florida (2012); a Youth Ambassador award from Corporación Amigos UNESCO (2016); the Dalai Lama Global Fellowship (2019); a trip to the World Forum for Democracy from the Council of Europe (2019); and a sustainability leadership training course through United People Global (2022), to name a few.
Eventually, Tenorio said, he decided that he needed a graduate degree in order to reach his goals and, with the help of a Fulbright Scholarship, he began a master’s degree program at the Penn State School of International Affairs in fall 2023.
Penn State Energy
Tenorio was accepted into master’s programs at five U.S. universities, and when he shared the news with fellow Fulbrighters and peers, he encountered a common reaction.
“Every time I talked to my people, they would say ‘Wow, you’re going to Penn State!’” Tenorio said. “And I would say well, they accepted me but I don’t know. ‘No, choose Penn State, Penn State!’ And I thought, what is it with this Penn State?”
The more he looked into it, the more it seemed that Penn State and SIA would be the perfect fit for him and his wife, Heidy. Now in his second semester of a two-year master’s program at SIA, he said he knows he made the right choice.