King’s College London Alumni Announces Candidacy for Governor of Cundinamarca, Colombia

Cundinamarca, Bogota, Colombia – February 26, 2019 – Laurentino Quiroga is proud to announce his candidacy for the 2020-2023 election for governor of Cundinamarca, the central state in Colombia.

 

Quiroga, who migrated to the United Kingdom in 2007, is returning to his home country to fulfil his lifelong ambition. He hopes to promote science and the biodiversity of Colombia as part of his manifesto – a subject he grew particularly passionate about whilst studying a postgraduate degree in Engineering at King’s College London, then Bioinformatics with Systems Biology at Birkbeck College, University of London.

In addition, Quiroga is keen to support and raise the profile of the Kew-Colombian Bio Programme, a project run by the Colombian Government’s scientific body, Colciencias, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – London’s largest UNESCO World Heritage site. The partnership aims to identify, protect and sustainably manage the incredible plant diversity in Colombia. Quiroga’s support for the initiative would include creating grants to invite UK PhD students and post-doctoral graduates to run scientific research in the country.

Quiroga comments: “I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to study in one of the most vibrant cities in the world, but my heart has always remained in Colombia. When I first dreamt of moving to the UK to learn English, I did not have the £5,000 that many travel agents said I would require in order to successfully apply for a UK student visa. However, I decided to ignore their advice and submitted a UK Border Agency application, attending the appointment with just one letter written in Spanish explaining why I so desperately wanted to fulfil my dream of studying in the UK. I wanted to immerse myself in a new culture, but most importantly, contribute greatly to society – both in England and Colombia.

Incredibly, my visa was approved and I was granted a student visa from January 2007. Whilst studying English I did whatever work I could find – including being a waiter and a cleaner – and eventually, I was able to enrol at King’s College London in 2010. I hope that my journey which has ultimately brought me to this candidacy announcement will inspire the people of Cundinamarca to work hard, stay humble and follow your dreams. You really can achieve anything with hard work and dedication, and I want to prove that to my constituents by applying the same values to my role if I am lucky enough to become the governor of this fantastic state.”

Quiroga is also hoping to increase the organic food production in Colombia and establish trade links with the UK to provide tropical fruits at affordable prices.

Election Day is 27th October 2019.

To learn more about Laurentino Quiroga visit www.laurentinoquiroga.com or email l.quiroga_moreno@mail.cryst.bbk.ac.uk.

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