FALL 2008 - UW-Milwaukee

S T U D E N T P R O F I L EEdgard RinconBy Marla HyderIf you have any doubts about thebenefits of global education, youhaven’t spent time with EdgardRincon.Rincon’s worldview has beenshaped by several trips to Colombia andMexico, and he is in turn beginning toshape the world. “I want to dedicatethe rest of my life to peace, to the studyof peace, to how we might go aboutcreating a more positive environment,”says the UWM senior. “The world isnot harmonious and positive conflictsdo exist, but when negative thingsoccur, we need to be able to examinethem and come forward with somekind of solution.”One of the first students to pursueUWM’s new Global Studies major,Rincon is also earning minors inEcono mics and Spanish, with certificatesin Peace Studies and in LatinAmerican and Caribbean Studies. Hefeels that this combination will givehim a unique perspective on globalissues and prepare him for graduateschool at the University for Peace inCosta Rica.Born in Sheboygan to Colombianparents, Rincon has been preparing forhis international career since childhood:“Growing up as a small child, Ifelt I’d like to fit in, but from an earlyage I began to realize how beautiful itwas to have this different culture.There is this certain way of caring andunique familial relationships in Colombianculture. I began to realize howspecial it was and how fortunate I was.”He also cherishes his firstlanguage — Spanish — and chucklesat the ways he has learned to adapt:“In Mexico, they said I spoke Spanishwith an American accent; in Colombia,they said I spoke Spanish with aMexican accent; and by the time I leftColombia, they said I was talking like aColombian!”While studying in Mexico in fall2007, Rincon took several classes —including International Law andMexican Criminology — and did aninternship with the State Commissionof Human Rights, where he assisted inthe investigation of alleged humanrights violations. Knowing SpanishLeft to right: Edgard Rincon, his father Baltazar, and his brother Andrew at a familywedding in Bogota, Colombia.helped him fit in with his large hostfamily and meet friends at theuniversity. “It was the greatestexperience of my undergraduatecareer,” he says about his time inMexico. Now that he’s back, he’shelping UWM’s Center for InternationalEducation to provide otherstudents with the opportunity for alife-changing experience.“As a student,” he advises, “I believethat it is important to arrive in thecountry open to the culture, to embracethe people, and to be able to see theworld from their perspective. Eachand every group of people in differentparts of the world is going to have theirunique perspective on the history ofthe world. It is very inspiring!”Edgard Rincon himself is and willcontinue to be an inspiration to others.As a McNair Scholar, the enterprisingstudent researched and wrote aboutthe impacts on children who find outthat their parents have HIV/AIDS.He has also been involved with thestudent organization “Loyalty EqualsBrotherhood,” which advocates forthe Hispanic population on campusand throughout Milwaukee.In addition to attending graduateschool in Costa Rica, Rincon hopes tospend more time in Colombia with hisextended family and eventually travelaround the world with his career.“I really would like to dedicate asmuch of my time as possible to understandingconflicts between nation-statesand groups of people, and attemptingto find various manners in which wecan assist,” he says. “Growing up as ason of Colombian parents, with theconflicts that have burdened thatcountry, I hope to dedicate my life tohelping in any way that I possibly can.“We are all in it together.”14 Fall 2008/Myriad