Marcela Santos, Class of 2008, is a Psychologist with a Masters in Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities. She is the Chief Inclusion Officer at CIREC, a non-profit organization that focuses on the comprehensive rehabilitation of people with disabilities related to musculoskeletal, neurological, and degenerative conditions.
Marcela’s father was diagnosed with ALS when she was 14 years old; she cared for him for the 16 years he lived with ALS as one of his primary caregivers. Moved by this personal experience, she has dedicated her whole personal and professional life to advocating on behalf of people with disabilities and promoting their social and work inclusion.
Marcela is currently working on the We Cam Fest, a festival organized by CIREC and Cine Social that promotes, through cinema, the inclusion of people with disabilities in Latin America and the world.
It is the first inclusive film festival in Colombia and incorporates cinematographic content made by people with disabilities or about people with disabilities.
The festival will hold its first online version from November 26 to December 3, 2020. In addition to projecting audiovisual content from around the world, it will also feature talks, conferences, and panels with people and professionals from the sector.
We invite you to enjoy the We Cam Festival by clicking below:
Access link to the festival:
To KCP community has been assigned a link where we can access the content free of charge.
Link: https://wecamfest.ensucasa.co/apoyos/
Password: wcfapoyos2020
Once you click on the link, a box will appear where you must fill in the password. This will take you to a form that will give you access to the festival’s content.
Keep in mind that the link will become active on the 26th of November that the festival begins, and remember that the access is free of charge for the KCP community.
Thank you to Marcela Santos and the We Cam Fest for this special invitation!
We had the chance to talk to Marcela about her experience during her time at KCP:
What are some of your best memories or experiences from your time at KCP?
The Christmas shows, binational games, and advocating on behalf of the students when elected Personera.
How has your KCP experience impacted your life and the choices you have made in your career?
KCP has a very complete academic, sports, cultural, and community service agenda. This gave me the liberty to choose my interests and allowed me to excel in all of them. Like in KCP, throughout my life, I’ve chosen to be part of many groups and form new ones, from being elected student representative in my faculty, to creating Dr. Clown in Javeriana University and being part of the Board of Directors of the International Alliance of ALS/MND. To this day, I keep choosing and filling my life with diverse activities; learning and serving others.
How do you think KCP shaped you for your career?
Since day one KCP welcomed and strengthened my leadership, public speaking, and people skills. I have used these skills throughout my career, while giving conferences to large audiences, talking to communities at risk and people in need.
What advice would you give KCP students?
I would tell them to enjoy KCP and everything it has to offer. To be curious and eager to learn about the world around them. And to realize how privileged they are and the responsibility we have as KCP students to leave a footprint in this world.
What makes you proud to be a member of the KCP alumni?
I’m proud to be part of an academic institution that has taught me the value of dreaming and pursuing those dreams.
