CCB News
Santiago Aguilera González, from class 2018, is a clear example of having a dream, working hard for it, and achieving it. Santiago started swimming at age 8 and recently became national champion in the Colombian National Championship held in Barranquilla, Colombia from the 15th to 19th of June, in five different categories; one individually and four in relays. His passion for competing is what’s brought him to where he is right now, and what will take him to achieve his major dream; making it to the Olympics. Santiago is studying in University of Louisville in Kentucky, where he joined the swimming program; a top five program with five national champions, a competitor for the US Olympic team, and other Olympic competitors for countries such as Serbia, Moldova and Russia.
As mentioned before, Santiago’s passion for sports came from his competitive personality, which he developed by playing football matches with his friends at school. His parents were both athletes back in the day and encouraged him to try multiple sports; eventually he decided to go for swimming.
“I decided to stay with swimming because in my head I thought, making it in soccer is really hard, skating isn’t that fun and swimming is my thing.”
His professional career started in Luz Mery Tristán, while swimming in a 50mt pool. Later on, he transferred to Aquatic Center and finally ended up in the department group where the elite swimmers of Valle del Cauca are. He now lives in the United States swimming for the University of Louisville in Kentucky.
In order to become a national champion, Santiago had to undergo very hard training and put in a lot of effort.
“In swimming you need to have at least a 3-month preparation where you destroy your body. You lift a lot of weight, swim a lot of meters and then, towards the end of that 3-month period, you drop the weight, swim less and that’s called tapering.”
Tapering is known for breaking down your body during hard training over a period of time and then, right before competing, dropping the rhythm so that your body can rebuild stronger. Santiago was under this process when he went to Puerto Rico for a training meet right before his national competition. In the national championship held in Barranquilla, Santiago won in the following categories: 100mt freestyle, 4x100 freestyle relay, 4x200 freestyle relay, 4x100 mixed medley relay and 4x100 mixed freestyle relay.
Additionally, Santiago mentioned that the CCB was a great support during his sports career.
“I had a meet called Bolivarianos and I remember the school would let me arrive at 9 instead of 7:30 just so I could train and sleep more. The main thing was just communicating on my side; telling them what I needed and they helped me get through it and work things out.”
The CCB was also a big influence in his personality and character. He highlighted that the IB attributes he uses the most are being principled and an inquirer and he described the school as very complete.
“The CCB picks up a little of everything in life, and then just puts it in you. You absorb it. And all those little things in life, that’s what makes you the person you’re going to be in the future.”
Finally, he wanted to give a message to the CCB students who wish to pursue a sports career where he stated that one of the most important things is communication with the school so we can help you during all your process. He also emphasized self-confidence and hard work.
“You’ve got to work hard because there’s no shortcuts. You’ve got to wake up early, earlier than everybody, work hard, harder than everybody, and then do it again. If you believe in yourself, you can definitely achieve more than what you actually think you can.”
It’s important for Santiago to know that from the CCB community and the Alumni Association we congratulate him in all his achievements and from the looks of it, the Olympic dream is not far.
Our GreenBeat Natalia Osorio, class 2001, has shown that taking action to save the planet can be easy and adds a very interesting value to small and medium-sized businesses. Her company, Naturesse, was recently recognized by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) as an eco-innovative global reference due to Natalia’s outstanding environmental responsibility and her use of an eco-friendly business model.
UNEP launched a program for small and medium-sized companies that cared for the environment within their business model; along with Naturesse there were only other five Colombian companies participating. For two months, the UN taught Naturesse how to run a business model that was different or eco-innovative; they learned to measure water and energy consumption, they work along with their suppliers to understand where raw materials come from, how to reduce the carbon footprint, helping local businesses, and the development of soft skills to connect with every collaborator in a hearted way.
Natalia mentions that once you use this model, every collaborator and supplier feels the impact of helping the environment with their job.
“This also happens with our suppliers; they get excited when they acknowledge that the environment is important for us, so every time there’s a new raw material that is more biodegradable or contributes more, they call you very excited and say: Hey, we have this new development for you to use.”
Naturesse produces and commercializes personal care products. Initially they produced amenities for hotels but now they have expanded channels and product lines such as facial cream, exfoliants, liquid soap, etc. Their main clients include supermarkets such as DollarCity, Éxito and Carulla where you can find the brand’s products. Before applying for the UNEP Natalia was already implementing an eco-innovative mentality by using biodegradable formulas and performing a study on eco-friendly packaging, which is a concept that’s still developing in Colombia. This year, Naturesse completed their first export to Perú, and is in the process of exporting to Guatemala and El Salvador. Right now Natalia states that implementing such a business model brings a lot of benefits.
“We just started negotiations to open our market in the United States, so being an eco-friendly business has opened a lot of doors for us.”
Natalia’s love for the environment and her desire to always contribute were born during her CCB days. She developed these skills after taking Biology and Chemistry classes at school. Later on she deepened her knowledge by studying Chemical Engineering in Universidad de Los Andes. Natalia explains her motivation and the common need she found, to start Naturesse, as follows:
“I always saw that there wasn’t a brand that sold environmentally friendly personal care items, made in Colombia and affordable to everyone. That’s why I wanted to make the difference and that’s where it came from. It’s something I’ve always had since I was a kid.”
She also developed a great interest in entrepreneurship, which is why she was selected as an ambassador in the Cámara de Comercio working in multiple innovation and entrepreneurial programs. Natalia mentions that being an entrepreneur isn’t an easy task however she encourages CCB students to do so.
“You have to make the effort because building a company is the best way to contribute to the development of your country, and when you, aside from starting a company, do it by using an eco-innovative model, you’re actually helping the world.”
We asked Natalia to describe the CCB in one word to which she replied with love and affection.
“One word would be falling short, but I think love is what first comes into my mind. You graduate and you still love the CCB profoundly.”
She also said that one of the qualities she likes the most about herself is understanding that if someone thinks differently, they can be right as well. She learned this from the IB attributes and says that it is a characteristic that will always come in handy in order to listen, understand and learn from other people. Natalia wants to encourage all the members of the CCB community to work for Cali in these difficult times and never give up.
In the Alumni Association we are extremely proud of Natalia’s accomplishments and we have faith that this recognition is only the beginning of a very successful journey.
Next Tuesday, June 22nd at 7:00 pm, CCB's Symphonic Band End of the Year Concert will be streamed on the school's official youtube channel and will feature musical, theatrical and dance performances.
This will be the third virtual concert coordinated by Arbey Castro, director of the Symphonic Band. He will be assisted by Jaime Chalá, Primary dance teacher Álex Marulanda, Secondary drama teacher, and Luis Felipe Gutiérrez, Secondary music teacher.
In addition to the symphonic band, the Primary dance group, the 7th grade theatre group and the 12th grade choir will have a part in this event. Approximately 45 students will participate. The CCB parents' choir will also be featured.
"The importance of this concert is to give continuity to a programme that has been successfully carried out and that year after year has given us concerts of a very high level. Virtuality has allowed us to transcend from other instances and perform music through new technological tools," Arbey told us.
Despite the health contingency, they have found a way to hold the concert, which has become a tradition at our School. Thanks to the technological tools at hand the CCB symphony has done everything possible to offer a quality performance. The production has been complex due to the technical challenges, but it has also opened doors to show the talent of our students through the internet.
"The pandemic forced us to stop our in-person performances and prevented us from enjoying the art that exists in the School. Thanks to this concert we can bring everyone together and it is important to show and make visible how the students are moved by music, dance and theatre to interpret everything that is happening," said Luis Felipe Gutiérrez.
The link to the presentation will be shared in the coming days. We hope to “see” you there!
