From Kentucky to Colombia, UK graduate works to expand opportunity

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 9, 2026) — When University of Kentucky May 2026 graduate Jesse Lee arrived in Bogotá, Colombia, this summer, he came ready to help expand educational and employment opportunities for young people. Through a NextGen Service Fellowship, he would also learn how geography can shape access to those opportunities. 

“The difference in the amount of perceived opportunity that exists in Bogotá city versus its periphery regions came to be the essential context informing my work during my time in Colombia,” Lee said. 

The NextGen Service Fellowship provides funding for 50 U.S. college students at partner universities to gain hands-on experience in international development while addressing the needs of vulnerable and marginalized communities overseas. The fellowship aims to inspire and equip the next generation of American public service leaders through immersive work with nongovernmental organizations in communities around the world, including sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The fellowship is administered through UK’s Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. 

Lee, who was also a Lewis Honors College student, is a 2026 graduate of the UK College of Arts and Sciences, with degrees in political science, psychology and Spanish. He applied for the fellowship driven by his passion for improving communities and international development. For his project, he worked outside Bogotá with Fundación Zoraida, creating instructional modules to improve educational and employment opportunities for young people in the area. 

“I want to use my talents and abilities to make a difference for those in my community,” Lee said. “This was the perfect opportunity to do that.” 

Fundación Zoraida, located about 30 miles outside Bogotá, offers educational and youth development initiatives to expand access to higher education and employment. The organization collaborates with other organizations to connect young people with scholarships, job training and other opportunities. Lee’s work centered on researching successful educational modules and mapping out how to implement them in the local community. 

“Being embedded in the community was key,” said Lee. “It’s one thing to read about an issue in an article online compared to visiting a place yourself.” 

As he began his fellowship, Lee quickly recognized how the environment itself could be a barrier. 

In the Sabana Occidente region, where Fundación Zoraida conducts outreach, about 20% of young people neither study nor work, a category known as “ni estudia ni trabaja,” or “nini.” Weaker educational infrastructure and limited formal employment opportunities, compounded by rapid population growth, can contribute to this situation. For those who do work, employment is often concentrated in informal sectors or gig jobs, such as delivery, temporary agricultural work or street vending. 

“I began to realize just how much traffic acts as a barrier to opportunity. Commuters from nearby towns in the Sabana Occidente region frequently travel to and from Bogotá for work, paying about 20,000 Colombian pesos for round-trip bus fare. For lower-income workers, the combination of cost and several hours of travel can make opportunities in Bogotá feel out of reach,” Lee said. 

During his time in Colombia, Lee also assisted with English classes and helped students understand the value of language skills. 

“What stood out for me when speaking to the students is how many students lacked confidence in their English skills and believed that its benefits were out of reach. What could a girl from a small Colombian town accomplish anyway? This is a similar sentiment that I saw in many of my local peers in my experience studying Spanish. Available opportunities and experiences may feel unrealistic and unachievable. By sharing my experiences learning Spanish, working with Hispanic migrant communities and traveling in South America, I aimed to encourage students to consider what is possible through language study.” 

For Lee, the experience strengthened his passion for improving communities while sharpening his understanding of the challenges involved. 

“I began to understand that opportunity isn’t shaped only by resources or aid, but also by the systems in place that determine whether those opportunities are actually within reach,” Lee said. “Creating systemic-level change isn’t easy. It requires consistent work and collaboration. This experience strengthened my understanding of international development and, today, inspires me to pursue work that serves communities through evidence-based interventions.”