Miguel A Rozo is a formerly internally displaced refugee who has called Canada home for the past 17 years. He is a public policy advocate and social entrepreneur who is passionate about global affairs, sustainability, and human rights.
Following a two-year political persecution, Miguel left Colombia at age 11 after death threats and a kidnapping attempt perpetrated by local criminal gangs who sought to inflict harm on his family. Miguel and his family ultimately left for the United States where they claimed political asylum and lived for three years before settling in Canada.
After completing high school in rural British Columbia, Miguel was awarded a one-year Rotary Youth Exchange to Switzerland where he attended high school, learned German and became integrated in the local culture. This experience both spurred and strengthened his passion for global affairs and public policy.
Public Policy | Social Entrepreneurship | Advocacy
Miguel 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 four languages.
Miguel is also the Founder of IdeasXChange, a startup think tank that has mobilized hundreds of people by providing spaces for innovation through forums, roundtable discussions, and online media.
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 latest reflection piece as a Canadian delegate to the G7 Youth Summit.
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.
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. Outside Vancouver, he has worked and volunteered in several other capacities, including social work in Northern BC, K-12 and ESL tutoring.
This includes a tenure as a support worker at the Smithers Emergency Homeless Shelter and for the Office of the Mayor of Smithers.
Miguel has also volunteered hundreds of hours to developing workshops, panel discussions, mobilizing people, and helping to generate thought-provoking articles through the IdeasXChange magazine.
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.