Hugo Enrique Osorio

Hugo is an Impact Coordinator for Latin America & the Caribbean at AFS The Youth Assembly, where he mentors young leaders advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Since graduating from Kent, he’s completed an LLM in International Law and founded educational charities across Colombia. A former UN ECOSOC Young Leader and youth ambassador, Hugo continues to champion education, youth empowerment, and public policy change. 

Tell us about your career path since graduation.

After graduating, I pursued an LLM in International Law at the University of London, with a particular focus on International Human Rights. I was deeply motivated to explore issues that had personally impacted me and my family, including international migration law, refugee law, and broader human rights concerns. As part of my dissertation research, I was fortunate to conduct fieldwork in Colombia. My thesis examined the 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC, which brought an end to nearly five decades of internal conflict - a conflict that claimed over 220,000 lives, including 170,000 civilians. Following this, I remained in Colombia for a short period, during which I founded my first charity. This initiative supported a community of 50 children and their families in the Caribbean region, providing educational and academic resources.

As an immigrant myself, I have come to understand the transformative power of education. I strongly believe that education is a pillar of society - an essential tool for eradicating poverty and expanding opportunity. That belief drives my commitment to advocating for the right to education across South America and globally, as well as to influencing public policy on issues that can positively impact lives.

In 2019, I launched my most ambitious project to date: Sueña e Impacta (“Dream & Impact”). This organization promotes academic development for young people and social leaders across both rural and urban areas of Colombia, using education as a tool for empowerment and change.

This work led to my appointment as Colombian Youth Ambassador for The American Field Service Youth Assembly in New York. It was both an honour and a responsibility to lead the Colombian delegation and represent the country at the annual assembly and the United Nations International Youth Day at the UN Headquarters.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

By day, I work at a legal firm in West London. In the evenings, I dedicate my time to my voluntary role as an Impact Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean with the American Field Service (AFS) Youth Assembly, headquartered in New York.

Since a young age, I’ve learned to juggle multiple responsibilities - from studying and volunteering to working, and this has allowed me to grow and develop across different areas. It’s a habit I’ve carried with me, and while it has certainly been a challenging journey, it’s also been incredibly rewarding. During the day, I work in a legal firm in West London and my evenings are based on fulfilling my ad honorem job as an Impact coordinator for Latin America & The Caribbean for The American Field Service Youth Assembly which has its headquarters in New York. Under this role I have the responsibility to mentor and support over 200 young leaders from these regions in the various projects they lead based on The Sustainable Development Goals.

On certain evenings during the week, I also lead seminars as part of my project Sueña e Impacta, focusing on youth leadership and social development. It’s been incredibly moving to see leaders from diverse sectors of society come together to support this initiative. What has stood out most is the shared passion among so many individuals to use their lives to create a positive impact in the world. Through Sueña e Impacta, we connect professionals with young people at the start of their journey — enabling experienced individuals to share their knowledge, expertise, and stories to help train and inspire the next generation of changemakers.

During the year I am able to travel a couple of times to Colombia where I organize an annual national academic tour which includes the visit to various universities taking these programs face to face. I also visit New York once a year where we meet for the annual Youth Assembly. This year, I am no longer serving as youth ambassador but I will be serving as Impact Coordinator where I will support the alumni in my region and community.

Can you share a professional highlight from your career so far?

I have been fortunate enough to have various professional highlights in my career to date. But surely one of the main ones was to be chosen as representative for the United Nations ECOSOC Young Leaders Forum in 2021, this forum united the world’s strongest youth leaders for sessions of training, professional development, debates and networking to create alliances.

Being a youth ambassador these last couple of years has also been a highlight, it was always my dream to represent Colombia in the best possible way, and having this platform was beyond my expectations. Speaking out in favour of youth and in favour of the over 2 million children in my country who have no access to education or to health care made me feel so encouraged to continue along this path.

In 2020, due to the work I had carried out, I was also offered a position as an advisor for The Council of Youth at the Presidency of the Republic of Colombia where I would advise on matters of social development for young people across the country, working at a national level with high political figures, creating projects that could have such impact was indeed very rewarding. I was also able to work alongside the former first lady creating a program named 'SACUDETE' which favoured young citizens from vulnerable areas in their personal development.

To date with 'Sueña e Impacta', I have carried out over 400 free events (seminars, workshops, diplomas, courses) not only in Colombia, but in the UK with Deloitte, Google and Booking.com. Through our mentoring programs, many young people have opened their own social organizations and become social entrepreneurs working for greater causes. I currently continue to work in this organizing our next national academic tour.

How did your time at Kent help you achieve your current career?

Studying at Kent was one of the best experiences of both in my personal journey and professional development. I was able to expand my knowledge and learn directly from experts who were so passionate and in touch with their subjects. I was also surrounded by incredible students from all over the world who expanded my knowledge about different cultures. I must mention the time living on campus and at Canterbury were very significant, the views, the campus itself were a perfect learning environment. Also, I am very grateful for all the extra support I received whilst studying at the university - head of subjects were always very reachable and all those my subject line could be reached instantly via email.

What advice would you give to our current/prospective students who are looking to get into the same line of work?

It is essential to use our time to acquire more knowledge and gain more experience. I would fully recommend using all available time to connect with other people in your field, volunteer in aspects you are passionate about and look for ways in which you can contribute to society.

Using social media as tool of networking has been very beneficial in my career, it has also been a platform to expose my views and raise my voice in favour of the social matters that I am very concerned bout at national and international levels.

Did you get involved in any extracurricular activities as a student?

No

Do you have a favourite memory from your time at Kent?

My time at Kent was filled with extraordinary memories, studying and reading in the green area during spring was fascinating, assisting with various special guest lectures during the year was also very significant. My last year of study was indeed very memorable - I was able to go into depth in topics that I was very passionate about, such as social leadership, and study the lives of great role models such as Nelson Mandel and Mahatma Gandhi.

Is there anything you would do differently if you could repeat your time at Kent?

As humans we tend to focus very much on the future, sometimes we miss the present and we forget to embrace our current momentum. During my years at Kent, I was so focused on the next step, on graduating, and on the next opportunities. Today, as I look back, I wish I could re-live those years, embrace every lesson, the experience and the opportunities I had then. If I could go back, I would live every moment slowly, and enjoy the time at Kent to the maximum, participate in extra curriculum activities and groups.

What are your future ambitions?

I wish to continue learning and expand my knowledge in order to give the very best of myself into all the work I do. As humans, we must always desire to continue to grow and be better humans and professionals. I have a long term dream of being able to have a role in matters of public policies in Colombia, and use all that I've learnt and experienced in the UK to contribute to a better society in Columbia. I am very passionate about social affairs and wish to continue to expand my projects to reach as many people as possible.

I am eager to leave a positive legacy in our world, as small as it may be, and with that mission in mind, I will work every day of my life.