Miguel A Rozo is a public policy advocate, entrepreneur, and TEDx speaker based in Canada. He is a former internally displaced (IDP) refugee from Colombia passionate about about global affairs, sustainability, and human rights.
Miguel is the founder of IdeasXChange, a volunteer-driven social innovation hub that mobilizes youth and the community through forums and leadership training at UBC and Vancouver. This initiative has mobilized over 1,000 people to date and engaged numerous industry and community leaders as speakers, sponsors, and partners.
He also has over two years of policy analysis and research experience, spanning across work terms at the U.S. Consulate-General Vancouver, the B.C. Ministry of Health, and consulting research in Silicon Valley. He has lived in various countries and speaks English/Spanish fluently along with intermediate German and French.
Miguel holds a B.A. from the University of British Columbia in International Relations and often does speaker engagements, including a TEDx talk on forced migration. He is active with Rotary, a member of Global Shapers Vancouver, and was a Canadian delegate at the 2017 G7 Youth Summit in Rome, Italy.
Check out his blog and reflection piece as a Canadian delegate to the G7 Youth Summit.
Make sure to also check out his reflections on the pilot project he helped to steer to promote coding classes for vulnerable children in Colombia through the Rotary Foundation. You can read more about it here.
Aspirations and Opportunities
Miguel aspires to work with governments and international agencies, along with the private sector and advocacy groups to address local and global pressing public policy issues. To contact Miguel, please follow this link.
Miguel A. Rozo’s diverse work experience has provided him with a multitude of skill sets that can be applied to a number of industries.
SOCIAL INNOVATION / ENTREPRENEURSHIP
FOUNDER, MANAGING DIRECTOR – IDEASXCHANGE
Vancouver, Canada | Jan 2015 – Present
- Founded social innovation hub that provides leadership training for youth
- Plan/moderate panel discussions with influencers, co-founded magazine
- Led team of 10+ volunteers, mobilized 1,000+ attendees, engaged 40+ influential speakers, secured over $7,000 in grants
- Stakeholder engagement with business, government, and academia
ADVOCACY / NEGOTIATION
CANADIAN DELEGATE – G7 YOUTH SUMMIT (YS) – SPONSORED BY THE YOUNG DIPLOMATS OF CANADA
Rome, Italy | May 2017
- Selected as one of four delegates to represent Canada at the G7 YS
- Successfully negotiated recommendations, advocated for Canada’s youth
- Presented recommendations on the Future of Work and Welfare Systems to the G7 Sherpa to the Italian PM (in Rome) and Global Affairs Canada
RESEARCH / POLICY ANALYSIS
RESEARCH & POLICY ANALYST – BRITISH COLUMBIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH (UBC CO-OP TERM)
Victoria, Canada | Sept 2011 – June 2012
- Research/analysis on best practices to improve BC surgical wait times
- Reports, literature reviews, briefing notes, action plans, data retrieval
- Reported findings to director, branch, presented policy recommendations
EXECUTIVE POLITICAL & ECONOMIC INTERN – UNITED STATES CONSULATE-GENERAL (UBC CO-OP TERM)
Vancouver, Canada | June – September 2011
- Research on bilateral issues (e.g. energy sector, BC/Yukon politics)
- Media monitoring, briefing notes, diplomatic cables, research, reports
- Reported to Deputy Consul-General and Political/Economic Officer
RESEARCH ASSISTANT – ILLUMINATE CONSULTING GROUP (UBC CO-OP TERM)
San Francisco Bay Area, USA | January – April 2014
- Analytical research and data analysis on global higher education
- Cost of living estimates, capture/analyze data, policy research
- Developed the research methodology, conducted research, analysis
RESEARCH ASSISTANT – FORT LANGLEY NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE (FSWEP) – 2 TERMS
Langley, Canada | June – August 2009 | May – September 2010
- 2010: Historical research on the settlement of Stó:lō and Dakelh lands
- 2010: Produced reports on the above for heritage interpretation
- 2009: Conducted research to audit external cooperating association
ADMINISTRATION
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – UNIVERSITY NEIGHBOURHOODS ASSOCIATION
Vancouver, Canada | May 2016 – October 2017
- The UNA provides municipal services to residents of the University of BC
- Municipal-style tasks: issuing permits, answering residential inquiries
- Assist Executive Director with administration and communications
SOCIAL WORK
SUPPORT WORKER – BROADWAY HOMELESS SHELTER
Smithers, Canada | June – August 2013
- Support worker for marginalized groups in rural, Northern BC
- Preparing meals, bed checks, miscellaneous tasks, database entry
Bachelor of Arts, International Relations. University of British Columbia. Vancouver, Canada (2009-15)
- Specialization: Diplomacy, Peace, and Security Studies. Minor in Political Science
- Courses: Political Science, History, Economics, Geography, Languages
- Student Clubs: AIESEC, Model United Nations (UN), Rotaract
- CERTIFICATE: UBC Summer Institute for Future Legislators. Six-week course on parliamentary procedures, media training, and constituency affairs with a parliamentary simulation at the BC Legislative Assembly.
General Studies, Faculty of Arts. University of the Fraser Valley. Abbotsford, Canada (2008-09)
- General studies in Political Science, History, Economics and Sociology
Rotary Youth Exchange Student. Kantonsschule Wil, Wil, Switzerland (2007-08)
- Chosen by Rotary Club as an ambassador of goodwill to study abroad
- Attended Swiss high school, learned German, integrated in local culture
French Intensive Courses
- University Laval, Quebec, Canada (5 weeks – 2010)
- Alliance Française, Lyon, France (4 weeks – 2012)
High School Diploma. Salmon Arm Secondary (2007), Salmon Arm, Canada
- Graduated in the top 5% of the class
Passionate about social and environmental causes, Miguel enjoys dedicating his time to community and volunteering.
He was the 2015-16 President of the Rotaract Club of Vancouver, a youth charity organization sponsored by the Rotary Club of Vancouver. He has worked and volunteered in several other capacities, including social work in Northern BC, K-12 and ESL tutoring. Miguel has also volunteered hundreds of hours mobilizing people, particularly youth, and fostering the growth of the social innovation hub, IdeasXChange.
LEADERSHIP / COMMUNITY / SOCIAL IMPACT
PRESIDENT – ROTARACT CLUB OF VANCOUVER – SPONSORED BY THE ROTARY CLUB OF VANCOUVER
Vancouver, Canada | May 2015 – May 2016
- Oversaw a club of over 80 members and multiple committees to support service/charity projects while encouraging volunteer spirit
- Oversaw expenditure of charity projects, stakeholder relations
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS CO-LEAD – GLOBAL SHAPERS – INITIATIVE BACKED BY THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM (WEF)
Vancouver, Canada | October 2016 – Present
- Work with team to forge partnerships with community partners
- Advisory Board Member of the Science World Millennium Advisory Council (MAC)
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT / FUNDRAISING
PROJECT LEAD – STEM EDUCATION PROJECT IN COLOMBIA
Vancouver, Canada | Bogota, Colombia | June 2016 – Present
- Fostered partnership with grassroots organization and Rotary Clubs in Colombia and Canada to deliver STEM (robotics/engineering) classes to 10 vulnerable children from April-August 2017via Minecraft EDU
- Secured $5,000 in grants through speaker engagements, networking
For more details, visit his LinkedIn page.
TEDx Speaker. Terry Project, UBC. Vancouver, Canada (2015)
- Spoke to an audience of 400 people on forced migration
- Shared personal story as former refugee and crafted a socio-economic argument for nations to accept displaced civilians
- See Miguel’s TEDx talk here
Keynote Speaker. UBC Impact Lab. University of British Columbia. Vancouver, Canada (2015)
- Shared with university students the importance of appreciating multiple perspectives to address the world’s pressing issues
- Spoke on personal journey as a social entrepreneur to motivate students to pursue their passion
- More information here
Guest Speaker. Rotary Club of Ladner. Delta, Canada (2015)
- Shared with Rotarians personal journey as a former refugee
- Explained how high income countries stand to benefit by accepting migrants displaced by forced migration
- More information here.
Conference Speaker. YES2 2kNow Conference. RCMP D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). Richmond, Canada (2016)
- Shared with grade 7 students personal journey as a former refugee and migrant through a motivational talk
- Spoke on how obstacles in life can become assets through analogies and personal experience
- More information here.
Workshop Assistant. UBC Changemaker Showcase. Ashoka Foudation, Canada. Vancouver, Canada (2015)
- Assisted the Director of the Ashoka Foundation, Canada in the “Changemaker 101” workshop for aspiring entrepreneurs and changemakers
- Shared personal story of founding IdeasXChange and raising awareness about environmental issues
- More information here.
Speaker, Panel Moderator. IdeasXChange Hub. IdeasXChange. Vancouver, Canada (2015/2016)
- Provided opening and closing statements at over 12 interactive workshops and panel discussions
- Introduced influential community, policy, and academic leaders
- Moderated a wide range of panels on environmental, sustainabiliy, social, economic, and policy themes
- More information on themes here. For videos, follow this link
Knowledge & Expertise
Global affairs, international development, sustainability, and human rights.
Leadership
Founder of IdeasXChange; former President of youth service club sponsored by Rotary
Multilingual
Fluent in English and Spanish, intermediate German and French
Policy Analysis & Research
Experience in government, non-government, and consulting settings
Education
International Relations, Political Science, Economics
Public Speaking
TEDx speaker, motivational talks, advocacy
Blog and Analysis Pieces
Miguel writes pieces on global affairs, sustainability, current events, and human rights. Check out his blog.