Alexis Castillo Jiménez is 32 years old and has a freshly signed diploma.
Before celebrating, before the cap-and-gown photos, he walked straight to the public market in Barranquilla, Colombia, where his father Germán sells glasses from a street stall. There, among sunglasses and passing customers, he handed him the law degree he had just received from the Corporación Universitaria Americana de Barranquilla, including honors.
Don Germán has six other children, and he has supported them all by recycling cans and selling whatever he can. Alexis worked in those same jobs before studying Law, and today he is also a community leader and council member in his neighborhood. The hug between them, recorded and shared on Twitter in December 2021, went viral because it told, without the need for words, the story of twenty years of sacrifice rewarded with a diploma. Alexis is already thinking about his next step: continuing his studies abroad so he can return and help his community.