- Susana Restrepo Rico, Columbia, graduated as a Master of Science in July 2010
Susana returned to Columbia in September 2010 and is now working for a large architecutral office as a project manager, responsible for a housing project in the private sector dealing with urban development .
"After two years of learning and researching about urbanisation and globalisation it is easy to understand sustainability not just as one way to develop urban development but as the vision that should shape the cities of the future. The experience of living and studying abroad opens a world of opportunities and shows different perspectives to the urban situation; however, when returning to the home country, reality and culture attempt to contradict the theoretical knowledge acquired through the past years. Practical experience questions the feasibility of implementing the basic sustainability principles when topography, culture and profits are combined as the main ingredients to design the new developments of a city with constrained borders and ever-growing population. Impotence and sadness sometimes seize the mind, looking at the problems of the city and the few appropriate answers implemented to solve them; at the same time, the opportunities to improve the city are enhanced, as knowledge increases and best practices become examples for improvement and guide to development. Concessions need to be made, especially when making people understand that from small integral urban proposals great changes can arise if we choose to transform the traditional mode of building the city. In some way, working in a developing country gives us, urban planners, a characteristic of negotiators between what should be done and what can be done with the resources available. In my perspective, my new career is a never-ending learning process which has to evolve and be adapted consequently with the needs and limitations of the urban environment. This challenge to continue learning is the main motivation to work and live in my city, keeping in mind that study and research are my passion and will be again part of my life in a near future." Susana Restrepo Rico
- Juan Carlos Domínguez, Columbia, graduated as a Master of Science in July 2010
Since November 2010 Juan has an employment as a Senior Design Architect in the Department of Real State Development at one of the biggest engineering companies in Colombia.
"To summarise my experience over the last two years, I would like to call a quotation from Doris Lessing, a British writer awarded with the Nobel Prize in literature in 2007. In her own words learning is when “you suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way.” Now that I have come back in Colombia I can really tell how true this is. The day I left Germany I was anxious, not only because of the people and things I had to leave behind, but because of the uncertainty about my professional future. Quite often I found myself wondering, would there be any job for me? Would it be interesting? Challenging? Am I going to like it? But in the end, there was only one way to solve those questions: moving forward. As soon as I came back, I rediscovered my hometown completely. I noticed the beautiful way in which the clouds cast their shadow on the Cordillera that surrounds my city. I realised how brick and concrete get together here in a unique way that creates an architectural style I couldn't find anywhere else. I found a new city that was there all the time, one that has moved forward as well. However, I realised too that there was still a long way to run. Social and environmental problems are far from vanishing, and urban development has become more relevant than ever. The master studies and the experience living abroad, both in Germany and Sweden, have provided me with new tools and knowledge to enter the professional market and contribute somehow to my country. The master studies are an once-in-a-lifetime experience, one that stays with you forever.
Two months ago I joined one of the biggest engineering companies in Colombia. They are renowned for large infrastructural projects not only in different cities of Colombia but also in Chile, Panama and Dominican Republic. I was hired as Senior Design Architect in the Department of Real State Development. I collaborate in the analysis of projects, structuring, basic outline and feasibility study." Juan Carlos Domínguez