I'm Lizeth Ladino architecture student and AFHBogotá internship student, I chose to do my practice in AFHBogotá because is a corporation with a social focus, where is used architecture as a tool for change and attention to vulnerable communities. I saw in AFHBogotá the opportunity to test my knowledge and at the same time contribute to change.

One month is enough to understand that through the proper use of our knowledge, we as architects not only can make great projects but also can generate large impacts and change in the way people lives. A month is enough to understand this and to approach a latent reality of our country in differents regions that are vulnerable for different conditions, whether by climate impacts, poverty or lack of opportunities for a balanced development.

One month is enough to understand that our job as architects is not only is create a great project and win as many awards as we wanted, but also to contribute little grains of sand to make the change. is very fulfilling to see people outside the architecture that want to generate a change and turn to us to make real their desire to change the conditions of hundreds of people, whether large-scale projects which is being carried out in the town Hatillo de loba strongly affected by the winter or small projects that seek to solve habitability problems for the people, but that would generate a great repercussion in the future.

Work and use the knowledge I acquired in my academic life to become an agent of change through architecture has been a very rewarding experience, it generates big expectations of projects that are underway, and the development of the corporation in the future, expectations about the social impact that will be generated if the projects we are doing with the cooperation of all people interested in generating representative changes in the development of our country.

Is interesting to see how these changes are made with the community and thinking in the community as the main actors of the project, see how through the participation of the community we can make innovative projects, with creative solutions to existing needs and determinants, that often under the individual criteria can be solved but not appropriate for the community. This is a clear example that cooperation between different disciplines and sharing of knowledge and opinions can be more effective and generate more creative results.

This is one of the tools or processes and development of projects that I like and is how the project is conceive from the start with the opinion of the community, how we make links that beyond the profession or discipline, we create a sensitivity and a commitment where we feel a responsibility to create the best solution with a good design, sustainability and a strong social impact.

That is how I say a month in AFHBogotá as an intership student is sufficient to generate in me a huge motivation and the desire to contribute in AFHBogotá projects, but also a month is not enough for all the expectations I have and continue to grow in me, I hope that in the development of my intership these expectations are met and more desires and intentions arise not only mine, also from all the people who want to connect and collaborate to generate change through architecture and, little by little with small grains of sand innovate and generate social awareness.

Lizeth Ladino.